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| The Judgment of Parris by Ruben 1636–1639 |
John Berger's book Ways of seeing explores the ways men and women see and interpret each other. According to Berger, men look at women and women, in
turn, watch themselves being looked at. It seems like it is almost impossible
for women to escape the constant judgmental gazes from those who seek to objectify and
judge them. Berger further argues that the social pressure to conform to
sexually inferior and subservient gender roles are always tilted toward women
in privileged European cultures. He explains that from a young age they are
persuaded to constantly survey themselves and everything they do because their
success in life greatly depends on how they appear to others, particularly men.
Herein we discover the meaning of the male gaze as described by Berger: it is the
way women are seen, depicted, and judged by men. Women are seen as subordinate, subservient and inferior to men. They are put on display to cater to the sexual craving and pleasure of men. According to Berger, the criteria men use to judge women are ubiquitous in the
European oil paintings, particularly the category of the nude (manwithaplan999, 2008). These criteria are also seen leaping from the pages of many prominent magazines. They are inextricably woven into the fabric of many pop-culture shows today. Popular pageant shows like Miss Universe or Miss USA are prime examples. In these shows, women competitors are put
on display to be judged by their observers, which often include men. They are
judged based on their physical appearance and outward conduct. And if they satisfy the desires or meet the standards of the judges, they are rewarded a prize, similar to that depicted in The Judgment of Parris by Rubens. Paris gave the apple to the woman he thinks is most beautiful (Berger 1972, pg. 52). This seems to imply that beauty is merely a physical attribute and contains varying degrees. Moreover, it also implies that one has to be nude or physically naked in order for one to discern her beauty. This may explain why our
culture is replete with women who publicly flaunt their nude bodies: they believe that beauty is determined by how they look without and not within. Therefore, they go through great lengths to make sure they appear ascetically pleasing, including butt implants and cosmetic surgeries, etc. Berger highlights this fact when he states that women are
constantly bombarded with judgmental glances from others; glances which serve
as a mirror that reminds them of their looks and the way they should act. Failing
to act out her roles in everyday life can be consequential as evident in Bell Hooks, Understanding Patriarchy.
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| Quote from Bell Hook's book: Understanding Patriarchy, 2008 |
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| Scene from X-Men Apocalypse 2016 depicting violence against women |
It is almost impossible to turn on the television or surf
the web without coming across stories of women who are victims of male objectification, patriarchal violence and sexual assaults. I knew women were not safe in America when the sitting president was caught bragging about sexual assault and was still voted into the highest office in the country. The “Me too” and “Times up”
movements are only two of the many social movements shedding light on this sad reality. In her book Understanding Patriarchy, Bell
Hooks writes about the patriarchal violence she encountered in her childhood.
Growing up in a patriarchal home subjected her to gender inferior roles and patriarchal violence by the hands of her father. She
stated that her role as a daughter were significantly different from that of her
brother’s. Her parents’ patriarchal thinking, which they learned from their church, taught her that it was her role to
serve, to be weak, to be free from the burden of thinking, to caretaker and
nurture others (Hooks, 2004). It is a sad reality, but many churches today continue to teach that women are exclusively responsible for executing these roles. However, when Bell Hooks sought to break free from the confines
of these subservient roles, she was severely beaten by her patriarchal father.
She explains that, “One evening my brother was given permission by my Dad to bring out
the tin of marbles. I announced my desire to play and was told by my brother
that “girls do not play with marbles” that was a boy’s game. This made no sense
to my four-to five-year old mind, and I insisted on my right to play by picking
up marbles and shooting them. Dad intervened to tell me to stop. I did not
listen. His voice grew louder and louder. Then suddenly he snatched me up,
broke a board out from our screen door, and began to beat me with it, telling
me, “You’re just a little girl. When I tell you to do something, I mean for you
to do it.” He beat me and beat me, wanting me to acknowledge that I understood
what he had done. His rage, his violence captured everyone’s attention. Our
family sat spellbound, rapt before the pornography of patriarchal violence”
(20-21). The growing violence women and young girls suffer by the hands of men is alarming. Hollywood
depicts this violence in movie scenes for our entertainment. Consider the scene
from the 2016 X-Men
Apocalypse movie, a movie that cost $178 million to make, and earned a
whopping $543.9 million at Box office. In the scene displayed above, Mystic,
a female character played by Jennifer Lawrence, is
being choked by Apocalypse, a male character played by Oscar Isaac. While some
may find this scene entertaining, it aptly depicts the growing violence women experience.
They often find themselves choked in the grips of patriarchal violence on a
daily basis. Fox used the scene for an ad and later
apologized after coming under fire from anti-violence groups. Unfortunately, disturbing scenes like these aren't only depicted in Hollywood, they also take place in many
homes in the United States and around the world. Bell Hooks explains that the most common forms of patriarchal violence are
those that take place in the home between patriarchal parents and children. The victims of such violence, often females, are forced to conceal the abuse it in order to avoid shame or protect the male perpetrators. Therefore, it is imperative that light is shed on this topic so that women and girls would feel comfortable to speak out against patriarchal violence and politicians would be challenged to deal with this harsh reality in their public discourse.
Sources used:
Berger,
John. Ways of Seeing; a Book Made by John Berger. British Broadcasting Corporation
and Penguin Books, 1972.
Hooks,
Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Simon & Schuster,
2005
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