The male gaze is essentially the approach in which society unjustifiably portray men displaying themselves as the rightful spectators of women. It is the objectifying of women that have been omnipresent in art forms dating way back when to ‘reawakening’ periods such as the Renaissance. It was a moment in time where men (i.e. King Charles the Second) would easily order custom paintings to be made of their mistresses, for the sole purpose of showing off to their others in hopes of invoking feelings of envy and jealousy. Women were used as tools intended to bring out the worst characteristics, such as envy and animosity, within one another, both male and female. The male gaze has to deal with women and their appearances and needs going unnoticed and uncalled for. Their fixations in order to please others neglecting the desires and wants of her own. The toll this has on women is described when John Berger, author of "Ways of Seeing", explains it as such, “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves” (47). A series of internal and external conflicts come about when women feel the need to strive to be someone else in order to please others. This is the toll that the male gaze has upon the society that we live in.
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| 'Just let me liberate you You don't need no papers That man is not your mate And that's why I'm gon' take you' |
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| Article: Raising My Boys To Resist The Patriarchy |
The male gaze is simply one construction branched from the ideals of the true origin of the matter, patriarchy. Patriarchy can be seen as an oppressive role that demands men to display themselves as the dominant masculine figure while women must portray themselves to be as the (often times seen as less valuable) weaker feminine figure. It is a system that is culturally enforced and damaging to many households, communities, and politics. Patriarchy is in all of its cases a form of oppression towards both men and women. As bell hooks, well-renowned feminist and social activist, writes in her piece “The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love”, “Patriarchal thinking shapes the values of our culture. We are socialized into this system, females as well as males” (23). It is a system where so much is at lost for everyone. When young boys are taught that the only way to properly express themselves is through violence, he loses his voice. When young girls are taught the only way to express themselves is through soft-spoken words, she loses her ability to take action. By stripping a piece of what makes someone human and equal in strength, capacity, knowledge, feelings and excusing it for what is synthetically made to be ‘proper’, it is stripping them of their right to their own free will. It is up to us to be and raise the change we want to see in the world (linked above is an article of how a mother believes, "Now, more than ever, we need boys who will be the kind of men to fight against injustice").
I’ve come to the realization that these social structures were created so that people (men) can gain leverage over others. It is the 21st century and it is upsetting to see that these patriarchal values are being paraded by billion dollar industries, politics, and families as a tool to still gain that leverage and power. I’ve also learned that these ways of thinking are not new, they date back to centuries ago and there’s proof that people actually thought this way (as can be seen through art). It is amazing to see how so much yet so little has changed. I find that it is my own responsibility, as well as others, to want to understand that these old ways of thinking need to be challenged and eventually changed.
Works Cited:
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series with John Berger. British Broadcasting Corp., 2012.
hooks, bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Simon & Schuster, 2005.
Links Cited:
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