The "male gaze" can be interpreted as
to how women are expected to appear in the eyes of their male counterpart. It
affects the woman, herself, in a way that she, too, views herself as a male
gazer would. It influences she act and presents herself in public. The reason
being that she does for the gaze of men. She knows that she is being looked at,
so she acts accordingly. Berger states, “She has to survey everything she is
and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how
she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as
the success of her life" (46). This statement indicates that the women
must act and appear according to how men view her in order to be successful.
The only way she is able to do that is by turning "herself into an
object" (Berger, 47). She has to be cautious about how she acts and how
she appears to others in public, therefore, she would look at herself the same
way others will look at her. Only then is she able to act and appear as the
ideal woman. The male gaze keeps women in
check by, in a way, forcing them to turn themselves into what is expected
from them as a women.
The male gaze is pervasive because women has
always appeared as sex objects, whether in media or in art. In art, for
example, Berger stated, "You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed
looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting Vanity, thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had
depicted for your own pleasure" (51). This statement alone, showcases that
male gaze is pervasive. Due to male gaze, women are depicted as such solely for
the purpose of fulfilling entertainment
and satisfaction of men. As a result
of male gaze over the years, women still appear in media as beautiful, sensual,
and nude women.
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The two images above illustrates how male gaze has affected women over the
centuries. Women in pop culture are still being showcased as sensual, leisure, and, for a lack of a better word, perfect. The images show the women
expressing full confidence in themselves through their bodies, and they show
their sensuality by gazing out to their viewer. Thus, displaying the result of
male gaze on women.
The "oppositional gaze" is when women dare to challenge the norm in society. Referring to the reading by Bell
Hooks, it is a gaze that allows [black] women to stand up for themselves
after watching any type of film that demotes [black] females. There are a lot
of stereotypical representations of black women in films. Sometimes those
stereotypes gets the best of other black women who do not agree with how they are
represented in films, especially since it was a white female figure who played
the role of a black woman because it was more accepted in that time period. Bell
Hooks said, "the extent to which black women feel devalued, objectified,
dehumanized in this society determines the scope and texture for their looking
relations. Those black women whose identities were constructed in resistance,
by practices that oppose the dominant order, were most inclined to develop an
oppositional gaze" (Hooks, 127). In this statement, the oppositional gaze
is suppose to represent black women standing up for themselves. Instead of
watching movies literally and accepting the stereotypes, they should actively
critique it instead.
Although I have some understandings of the standards of women in society, the readings have broadened my perspective in the world we live in. It's amazing how male gazing is still occurring even after centuries have gone by. Even after the Women's Rights Movement has taken place, women are still representing themselves as what men want to see. The oppositional gaze also still occurs in today's society as well. There are stereotypes that is displayed in our everyday life. I, as a Vietnamese-American, have to keep myself open-minded at all times, whether I'm talking to people or watching films. The ways we are represented in media is not always the best, but we have to live with it and move on. Bell Hooks encouraged me view movies more critically instead of literally.
Although I have some understandings of the standards of women in society, the readings have broadened my perspective in the world we live in. It's amazing how male gazing is still occurring even after centuries have gone by. Even after the Women's Rights Movement has taken place, women are still representing themselves as what men want to see. The oppositional gaze also still occurs in today's society as well. There are stereotypes that is displayed in our everyday life. I, as a Vietnamese-American, have to keep myself open-minded at all times, whether I'm talking to people or watching films. The ways we are represented in media is not always the best, but we have to live with it and move on. Bell Hooks encouraged me view movies more critically instead of literally.
Works
Cited
John, Berger. Ways
of Seeing. London, England, 1972.
Hooks, Bell. In Black
Looks; Race and Representation. Boston Massachusetts: South End Press,
1992, 115-31.
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