Male Gaze and Patriarchy

  "Male gaze" has became a term for all over hundred years, and actually its really meaning didn't change a lot during the hundred years.  However, there are more modality to explain the form in modern life.   From the John Bergers' ways of saying, he states that the male gaze is related to " A men's preference is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies. If the promise is large and credible his presence is striking" . From his words, we can find that the male gaze is  related to the males' power.  Males want to show their power by giving the definition of "beauty" of women, and use the gaze as an approach to accomplish their status.  Actually, this kind of actions related to the basic culture which is called "Patriarchy".  As Bell Hooks said in Understanding Patriarchy,  "Patriarchy is the single most life-threatening social disease assaulting the male body and spirit in our nation."(pg 27)  In the writer's view, patriarchy is not normal phenomenon happens to a society.  What's more interesting the author mentioned is that most male in the society, they didn't realized that the world, which implies men even don't pay attention on the word and what's the phenomenon behind the word.  Men think they need to charge everything is normal and the power is the symbol of the male.  On the contrary, if the male represents the strong and power, the female should represent the soft and obey their husband.  So based on the meaning, the male gaze is used to accomplish the males aesthetic.  It embodies on the most male gaze painting.  You can find that most male gaze painting included naked women  and maybe some men look at their bodies.  It makes me asks that what push the male gaze is so popular? As a women, I also appreciate the beautiful women with naked ,pretty body. I think it's based on my own aesthetic, I think the naked women are pretty, because they are natural, real and the soft of their skin, the curve of their body brings people relaxation.  In my own view, the simple and pure is the standard of beauty.  However, what's makes feel excited about the male gaze painting.  It's all based on the physiology or maybe there are some other reasons.

  In nowadays society, the "male gaze"  is still popular, just like I mentioned above, it not only accepted by the male, but also some female are really accept it.  John Berger also mentions that " Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.  This determines not only most relations between man and women but also the relation of women to themselves". (pg 47) The words kind of help us to explain why women also like the naked body during the modern.  For example, we buy lots of beauty magazine, which included the naked pretty women on the cover.  we really want to see how other women show their pretty and how can we do something to change ourselves to accomplish the beauty standard we both agree. The male gaze happens more often nowadays not just in the painting, but also in daily life.  When you walk on the street, there are some men "watch" you from your face to your legs.Based on most situation, you will feel uncomfortable if someone look at you and even wants to use their eyesight to go through your clothes and touch your skin.  There are two reasons may make us feel uncomfortable, Firstly, we feel gaze represents the sexual signal, after the signal, we don't feel the respect from the male.  This point is related to the male gaze which represents the power and based on the patriarchy.  Secondly, you may think your body was not perfect enough, and you are not confidence enough when some males look at you.  During the period the male looks at you, actually you do the same thing as the the man, you rethink every inch of your body to point out what which part is not perfect enough.  This point is totally relates to the Berger's principle which mentions male gaze sometimes is the female gaze for themselves.  And what's most interesting thing is what makes the female drop into the first or the second situation?  It's whether the man is charming enough.  It's kind of sarcasm that the first reason it's comes from the fight from female to male's power.  They want the men to respect them. However, when the man changes to another really charming one, they will get start to gaze themselves, which comes to obey the aesthetic of male.  Actually, the female didn't liberate themselves form the patriarchy yet.  However, it's really a good start to change the patriarchy.  

                                                     Isidore Pils, 1841

                              This painting is a typical male gaze drawing, the naked woman was 

                              watched by the male painter, it points to the power of the male

                                     Modern day's women magazine with naked women image 

                                     Women gaze themselves to help themselves to find the 

                                     beauty and power belongs to themselves.