The Male Gaze and Patriarchy

     The male gaze can best be defined as women being portrayed by men as objects through art to please or pleasure them sexually. “Men dream of women, women dream of themselves being dreamt of. Men look at women; women watch themselves being looked at” (Berger). This concept was prevalent during the 1900s in mostly European art. Most of the paintings were made by men and consisted of naked women, predominantly to pleasure other male viewers through her attractiveness. The nudity in the pictures serve no purpose but to trigger the sexual hormones or sense in a man; therefore men enjoy looking at it and are the primary audience of European art. Surprisingly, most women at the time seemed permissible with it, or they just didn’t pay enough attention to what was going on, or they straightforwardly just lacked care about how men were depicting them. In “Ways of Seeing,” John Berger utilizes many illustrations, examples, and his thoughts to explain the fundamental idea of how women are depicted and what the “Male Gaze” really is.

     The male gaze is very persuasive in art and popular culture because women are objects rather than subjects in most of the 1900s paintings and current magazines and other media portrayals. If women were subjects, they would have clothes on in paintings and be depicted because of her character or her actions in the picture. “She is not naked as she is. She is naked as the spectator sees her.” (Berger, 50). Most men who view the paintings care about the attractiveness of the woman and nothing more.

     From a very young age, women are told they are supposed to look good in other’s eyes. A mirror serves an essential symbol for the concept of how women look and how they should look. “Behind every glance is a judgment, sometimes the glance they meet is their own” (Berger). Whether it's the judgment of a man or a woman, they are judged upon every glance based on how they look; sometimes they are criticized. Women, even when they are alone, are continually being envisioned by someone, or sometimes themselves. She cannot avoid imagining herself performing whatever action she is. This situation is the case because, during their childhood, women are taught to survey themselves continually and perfect every imperfection, ultimately to be as most attractive as possible to men.

This image with the title, “Vanity,” was painted by a man merely for his pleasure as he enjoyed looking at her. The painting’s sole purpose was to please the creator and any other man that viewed it. There is a mirror in the woman’s hand to show that she is admiring her beauty; thus the title “Vanity” comes into place. Although vanity isn’t the main depiction men get from viewing this, it is the word that should be portrayed and what the artist wants to be represented.

     Patriarchy, similar to the “male gaze,” was another issue during the period, and it still exists now. Bell Hooks describes it as, “the single most life-threatening social disease assaulting the male body and spirit in our nation.” It fundamentally means men are most dominant or at least more than women. Men hold power and are physically, mentally, and emotionally stronger than females. The father or eldest male usually puts patriarchy into practice and entitled the head of the family. Men aren’t generally assumed to cry or show any negative emotions other than anger as they are emotionally stronger than women. We are told that men are supposed to protect women from harm because women aren’t physically capable or strong enough to protect themselves.

     Patriarchy doesn’t only affect women but men as well. From childhood, men are taught to be aggressive and show dominant presence. They are also not supposed to express emotions, especially crying. However, not every man wants to be like that; some want to be soft and gentle, but parents and society encourage them to exist as a dominant figure.

     This encouragement prevents some individuals to express their actual personality due to their fear of society's criticism. These two subjects, “male gaze” and patriarchy, are very pivotal towards attaining a gender equal world. Understanding and discussing these two topics have indulged me to conclude that we live in a mostly male-dominated world, and women have very few opportunities. Whether an individual is male or female, if interested they should be allowed to practice and involved in what the other sex does. I, a man, have learned not to judge a woman based on her appearance from the very first glance, but rather to take the time and judge based on character and personality.

This illustration is an example of women taking action and claiming they can also be patriotic as men. Patriarchy, similar to the “male gaze,” was another issue during the period, and it still exists now.

Links

John Berger _ Ways of Seeing Chapters2&3

bell hooks _ Understanding Patriarchy