The Male Gaze & Patriarchy

The Male Gaze & Patriarchy 

       The general term 'Male Gaze' refers to an act of viewing women through arts and literature from a male perspective in which makes the females appear as objects to please men. In other words, John Berger simplifies it by saying "men act and women appear(47)." Berger believes that women are portrayed as objects. Men usually view visual arts of women as sexual/beautiful qualities in women but, are not noticed of the things they do. "You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand, and you called that Vanity"(Berger,51). Back in the day and still to this very day, women are usually go-to for a flashy appearance. The first thing a man notices in women is how attractive she looks. Therefore, women were so caught up in looking good that it almost seemed that they were okay with the idea that they are being looked at as an object. Painting naked women were usually done for status. Husbands wanted to show their wife's as if they were gold metals or tropes.  The Male Gaze even translates to today's society as well. Playboys and Victoria Secret models are all shown off for their looks. The attraction has been a key to attention. Everyone wants to look like the next top model, which is fine. However, women cannot be displayed as leaders or seen for the jobs they do. If anything, they are laughed at for trying. Men are supposed to fill important roles, whereas women are housewives that seek to please their husband. Apparently, it's bad for women to do better than men. Even during the 1900s men didn't want women to be educated. Women couldn't be a scientist, doctors, etc. Throughout the era, we've seen that women can be just as smart as men if not smarter when educated. It was unfair, and even today we are facing biased equality between men and females. Feminist, have made significant process in women equality though some still feel that they are in the same position as before. In movies, producers are giving out more depth in women characterization to avoid showing them just for looks. Just take a look at Wonder Woman or Atomic Blonde, these movies give off strong dominance in female roles. 

      Objecting women is still a thing in 2017. Most women on cover magazines are half naked promoting products. Attractive women are used to sell more products. Male Gaze is populating ratings, sales, and views.

    Another topic that goes hand to hand with Male Gaze is patriarchy. Patriarchy is "a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially female"(Hooks, 18). He believes that patriarchy is taught indirectly. For example, through religion, we are taught that God created man to be the superior and protect the family. The female is shown to obey the husband and provide whatever she can to help the family out while the man took on roles outside the house. The way children are taught can affect their views on gender vs. sex. Hooks talks about how she was taught that girls could express their feeling whereas a guy shouldn't express his feelings at all. If so he did, he would be shamed and named a girl. Boys are taught not to cry while girls are allowed to cry. He is told to rage and to provoke violence to protect his family and home while she is forced to rely on him. These are all examples that children are taught when growing up. In so, the idea of patriarchy well always remains intact as long as the parent continues to teach their kids the role of their gender. Hook thinks that the feminist movement is the 'only struggle for justice that emphasizes the need to end patriarchy"(27). Women are tired of taking care of the house. Just like men, they deserve the chance to generate their income and follow their dreams. 

  The likelihood of change in gender equality will never be significant as long as parents continue to teach kids the difference in gender roles. Males will always teach their sons to be strong and dominate while females will stay in a weak position. However, we have seen some shine in women dominance, but we do not see enough of it. Not enough women dare to partake in male roles because they fear what others think. Nonetheless, there are more than enough women icons that demonstrate dominance while still showing a feminine side. 

Witnessing these structures of the Male Gaze and Patriarchy rose the issue that women are facing. Me as a man, I used to fall in love with the women on TV or magazine for their appearance. But now I can view these women for the roles they play and not know them because of their physical look. The Male Gaze still exist in today world, but not enough people are aware of it. This journey helped me understand how valuable it is for equality in gender roles and helped justify the indifference in male and female roles.

     Links

• https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/what-is-patriarchy/
• https://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%E2%80%9Cmale-gaze%E2%80%9D/
• https://tgem.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/the-invisible-hand-of-the-patriarchy/
• Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1972
• Hooks, Bell. Understanding Patriarchy, 2008