The World Could Use A New Lens

The male gaze is the pigeonholing of a woman into a gender role, opposite to the “dominant” male sex, via relative comparisons based on predisposed expectations wrought by a worldwide patriarchal social structure. John Berger states that a woman has to “survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men … is normally thought as the success of her life” (46). Berger also borrows a passage from Genesis to describe a woman’s alleged predetermined role in society: “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee” (48), showing that this patriarchal disposition has been perpetuated throughout history starting with the very first man and woman. Through unlimited exposure to media induced conditioning, the indoctrinated woman behaves in a manner that is calculated; to please man, maintain her image, and remain subservient. It is through this gaze that she is ultimately perceived as an object.

The influence of the male gaze exists across all forms of media whether it is a Windex commercial with a devout housewife, the new “not for women” Dr. Pepper Ten commercials, or damsels in distress as seen/read in the Twilight series. There is a pattern of imagery and inquisition that resonates with a woman; it raises the notion of identification within the media, how a proper woman should act, look, and feel. She is put on trial, judged and prodded without an alibi to absolve guilt. From the moment we verify her existence a woman is physically characterized, her personality is compartmentalized, and she is criticized based on how far she has strayed from the “plan.”

The oppositional gaze is an equally oppressive concept that combines the male gaze within a non-Caucasian framework. Bell Hooks talks about this in reference to slavery, comparing past to present, citing that it wasn’t acceptable to hold eye contact with a white man or woman, which fostered an “overwhelming longing to look, a rebellious desire, an oppositional gaze” (116). Not only did this apply to strangers on the street, but films, television and any other forms of taboo media.

While I was previously aware of the existence of sexism, I was unaware of just how relentless it is. On the way home last night I counted at least 9 questionable advertisements that promoted the agenda of “you should be this type of woman." I witnessed a twenty minute conversation between two women that only spoke of cosmetics and shoes, not 5 minutes before witnessing multiple cat calls that attempted to lure the unfortunate female into a trap sharing umbrellas on a rainy day with sketchy (at best) men. The gaze is real and is seamlessly blended into our day to day interactions with our environment and each other. And it sucks.

As a male it can be difficult to put myself in a woman’s shoes, however it is easy to empathize. I’ve heard all types of justifications—from teenage boys to married men—for what can very well be considered as harassing a woman: “it makes her feel special” or “they need to feel wanted” or “at least I’m trying to get laid.” I can only imagine the stress, frustration, and wastes of time that a woman must endure to uphold an image. Part of why I am in this class is to learn more about how this male/female imbalance works. It is perpetuated and downplayed, unchecked in positions of power, and even accepted by a large portion of the human population. I’d apologize to women on mankinds’ behalf, but that wouldn’t do much. To be quite honest there isn’t much to do but become active in raising the awareness of this epidemic.

Berger, John. "Ways of Seeing". BBC Four-Part Television Series. 1972. Hooks, Bell. "The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators". In Black Looks: Race and Representation. South End Press, 1992.

Both images grabbed from google.

-Pablo Dominguez