Since the beginning men were always the higher gender and women have had to follow them. Men have always had the advantage and the power, women were simply there to serve men. Traditionally men look at women as objects for them to use and view women as less than them. The “Male Gaze” as John Berger states is “men act and women appear”(berger 47). Berger means that men create and do everything, while women just exist. Berger also states “Every one of her actions -whatever direct purpose or motivation- is also read as indication of she would like to be treated”(berger 47). Women’s actions are always being watched and for their actions, they are judged upon. Based on how a women dressed many opinions can be formed. A women could be wearing a skirt and depending on how long the skirt is will determine the what type of women she is. This is the type of judgements not only men make of women but other women to women as well. With the male gaze, even after all the rights women have acquired in the United States, it does not matter what type of qualifications she has, what will matter is how she is presents herself and the fact that she is a women will give her a disadvantage.
The male gaze presents itself in the art and in the popular culture still to this day in movies, tv, shows, art work and pictures. In movies, women are objected. Women can be thrown away and replaced like a pair of shoes. In the movie “House Bunny” the main character is Shelley lives in the Playboy mansion until she is thrown out and replaced by a younger women. The male gaze is presented here because women are seen as objects that are expendable to men. A man would not just throw away another man and replace them with a younger men but they will to a female because they are not people they are objects. A movie like this shows that no matter how far women come along with their rights they will be always be seen as less. The male gaze is also present in the popular culture would be how the famous designers use beautiful women to model their clothes. They do this to attract buyers to buy their clothes. The Victoria Secret models are all beautiful, men and women lust over these women. Women wish they looked like the models and men want these women, like that want material objects, like a new pair of shoes. Women are used as advertisement for cars and all other type of products. When companies use women in car advertisements it gives men the idea that if they buy that car maybe they could get a girl that looks like the one in the advertisement, again women are used as objects.
Most men do not know what patriarchism is but yet a lot of them practice it. According to Bell Hooks “most men never think about patriarchy- what it means, how it is created and sustained” (Hooks 17). Men do not think that the world they live in is patriarch. This is because when brought up to them they connect it to feminism. Hooks states “ Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females” (Hooks 18). In example of patriarchy in today’s society would be the 2016 elections. Many men probably not agree with Donald Trump but they did not want to see a women in office so they went with Trump because he is a man. In a patriarchal society men are always in charge and women are to follow them and listen. Having a women in office would go against everything they are. Men always want the power, this is something they learn from when they are young at home and in order to make a change in our society.
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