The inability to relate to constant oppression
has been the excuse for men to discard the vivid issue of the male gaze.
Entertainment has been one of the many resources that channeled women as an
object with fleeting values; in other words the female character is often built
for pleasure. From early years women were already the object sculpted through
paintings made by male artists, author John Berger explains in his book
“Ways of Seeing” explains the issue was never the biological differences between genders
but the objectification of a male designing the image of a women to flatter
himself (Berger 64). Men has had the liberty to incorporate the male gaze since
the beginning of time from commanding power and condoning a women weakness, to
paintings filled with sexual desires. Male gaze has been normalized due to the
freedom men has incurred, silencing women when speaking about their [female]
values, it has empowered men to feel as if they are given the access to such
actions. Male gaze is described to be a power that man has stolen to use the
female body for its own sexual appeals, ignoring women feelings.
As much as a glance at a woman’s body might seem discrete it is the most silent
invasion committed. Berger goes on explaining that, “consequently how a woman
appears to a man can determine how she will be treated" (Berger 46). In a
Brazilian comedy TV show, a social experiment was made where a woman pretends to
be helpless with a popped tire. For one part of the experiment she is dressed
in an attractive way and in another she is shown to be dressed
messy, it was proven men would not bother to glance at the woman when she was
messy and chaotic not even for the fact that she needed help. However, when the
outfits changed, men would instantly notice the woman and stare long enough to make the
decision to help; not out of courtesy but out of the appeal they [men] have
built from a stranger. Women are imprisoned in their own bodies, as if it being
a curse to be a woman, unable to live life without the glance
of oppression and patriarchy.
Advertisements are built for a specific audience, Gucci presents to be selling a perfume however the women is selling her sexuality to sell a product. There is a purpose for every detail, possibly could have sold this product without invading a women character. Women are always categorized as sensual and desiring, constructing the idea in which the female body is no longer personal to a women but is ordered to live according to standards set for her.
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| Laura Callaghan |
Patriarchy
easily branches off the male gaze, the most uncomfortable word to a man ear. The
sound of intimidation spurs from the idea of being equal to a woman. It has come
to a time where a man yells, and a woman nods and that is seen as respectful and obedient as if a woman does not have the same comprehension as a grown man.
The question rises how women can fight for patriarchy, if there is fear towards
the adversary. Validation in power is what men seeks, Bell Hooks author of “The
Will to Change” gives the reader a first-hand experience of her patriarchal
family. Patriarchy has been the social oppression of gender roles defining the survival
by differentiating women and men. Men
are built to be a wall that feels nothing and a woman that obeys with in silent,
Hooks writes, “Indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy we force them to
feel pain and to deny their feelings (22). Inability to confront feelings makes
an individual numb to anything. The topic of patriarchy often pushed aside in a
conversation always being the elephant in the room, the current issue that is
always overlooked because it is too uncomfortable to talk about it. Hook
continues to say that a good fight cannot be made if we don’t familiarize society,
she writes,” how can we organize to challenge and change a system that
cannot be named" (Hooks, 25). Patriarchy has been clouded by men and pushed to be normalized to the point of acceptance, often times men might argue there is nobody fighting for their pain but, "Until we can
collectively acknowledge the damage patriarchy causes and the suffering it
creates, we cannot address male pain" (Hooks, 30). As patriarchy continues, the fight to further educate about equality still stands, many women artist have taken courage and through paintings that shown that they are not chained to a society standard anymore. Young artist Laura Callaghan paints empowering paintings that demostrate the the individualaity of a woman being comfortable in her own skin. If this idea makes anyone unfomrtable, there is a problem.
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