Post # 1.                           

                            The male gaze and the oppositional gaze 

            Since the beginning of our existence, gender and race, has predetermined our future and our roles in society. To this day, men and women has always been subjective to different type of standards where a man's look can determine the value of a woman and how she see herself upon others. This look is called the male gaze that pursues the most essential part of a women which is her nudity and how she is being objectify. 
             
            Consequently, women have fallen for "The Gaze" and became part of this game. They know they are being look. they are being observe. The Female population is not represented as a human being with dignity and respect instead women are being place as an object. An object that solely gives pleasure to man. Therefore, to a man that is in control and women who seeks man's attention. In popular western cultures, women's representation of beauty means glamorous model bodies. In art, music videos or in the first cover of a magazine all you see are the most beautiful faces and bodies with the only purpose of reaching the male gaze and the ambition of women who one day dream to be like that. We are scared of not being accepted; therefore, being judge.
           
            There is where John Berger in his book "Ways of Seeing" describes the sad reality of women in society and its subordination to men. As Berger stated " She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought as the success of her life. Her own sense of being in herself is supplanted by a sense of being appreciated as herself  by another" (46). He clearly wants to let us know how men is categorize by his strength of power and superiority over women. 
            
             This magnificent writing made by Bell Hooks takes you to relate the gender with race in a way never seen before. Bell Hooks describes the indelible memories of her childhood when she was punish for staring at others. Bell Hooks stated " the gaze has always been political in my life. Imagine the terror felt by the child who has come to understand through repeated punishment that one's gaze can be dangerous" (115). The oppositional gaze was a way for black people to express their feeling of anger and indignity. 
             
             Once black people have the opportunity to become spectators and create their own cinema, they were able specially black female spectator to see the cruel reality and instead of enjoying the film, they identify themselves with stories of racism and how being black and women  would place them in the most lowest place in class and condition and always beneath of white people. Bell Hooks points out the ideal representation of beauty in films were always white women. However, throughout the years there has been some progress about the incorporation of black women and women in general in the different social aspects and also leadership. 

This link is about how one of  Victoria's Secret Models gave up her career because she felt like a sex worker.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2324616/Victorias-Secret-beauty-Kylie-Bisutti-gave-career-faith-modeling-feel-like-sex-worker.html