The oppositional gaze in bell hooks’ article was based mostly on blacks vs. whites, and males
vs. females. Women have always been a
symbol of sex appeal for men and their image has been downgraded to just that,
much like the black race who have been dehumanized by the whites during slavery
and segregation. John Berger exemplifies, through this article, the female image
and how it has impacted many women’s lives. between these two issues we see how a simple "gaze" can have so many different intentions behind them.
Sankofa’s film “Passion
of Remembrance” is a perfect example of how women have let the ‘gaze’ become a
way to live by. Hooks states, “They challenge old norms and want to replace
them with new understandings of the complexity of black identity, and the need
for liberation struggles that address that complexity (130).” Black females
trying to impress one another by working on their looks in order to have others
gaze at their beauty. It was the need of feeling special, beautiful, and wanted
that drove these women to go above and beyond. This is a matter that has not
changed through time because women are still acting this way. Looking better
than the next has become an obsession to some women and it has driven them to
certain extremities. A woman wishes to
stay young forever, to be skinny and have curves, as well as getting rid of
those natural flaws. I feel as though is issue, however, is to be blamed at
social media, society and their criticisms. Because of this a woman can no
longer feel beautiful under her own skin. This is an issue that will continue progressing.
There is no such
thing as the perfect face nor the perfect body; however, there are ‘assumptions’
that are portrayed in media all around us. It is almost like we are being
forced to believe in these images of ‘perfection’ and it has caused impact on
women. Women have forgotten the real purpose of looking good, as bell hooks
says, “How they see themselves is most important, not how they will be stared
at by others (130).” It’s a good thing for a woman to feel beautiful but it is
even better when they do it for their own self-esteem. This is a difficult task
for most women because they have always been gazed at by men with other
intentions.
There was a time
period where blacks couldn't even dare to look at whites, to the point that
their only opportunity to do so was through television. That is when the ‘gaze’
between blacks and whites began and they were able to view the white’s perspective
in life. However, this interaction brought certain criticisms and offenses to
the blacks. Hooks states, “Black looks, as they were constituted in the context
of social movements for racial uplift, were interrogating gazes.” (117) being
that racism was still an issue during these times made this a conflict. There were
T.V shows, films, and other forms of media that portrayed black people in a
negative way by the whites. The whites took advantage of this situation by dehumanizing
and degrading the black society. Therefore, blacks were not able to gaze at
whites and their actions, and they knew this.
Blacks have
always been prohibited of doing many things. The way a black person looks was criticized
and prohibited because they had no right to do anything, especially if it was
towards the whites. Bell hooks adds, “The ‘gaze’ has been and is a site of
resistance for colonized black people globally (116).” even after slavery and segregation ended there has still been conflicts with blacks because of how much their image had been degraded.
I found the article you linked really interesting ...would it suggest that the oppositional gaze is working in favor of black women seeking loans? Does it suggest a new stereotype for black women that they are perceived as hardworking and trustworthy?
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