The Male Gaze & Patriarchy

What is the male gaze (as described by John Berger) and why is it pervasive in art and in popular culture? 

I believe the most telling (and quite popular per our class discussion) quote/example from John Berger’s, “Ways of Seeing” that helps describe the general idea of the Male Gaze is, “Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at… Thus she turns herself into an object – and most particularly an object of vision: a sight” (Berger). I feel as if this quote resonates with both the Male Gaze in early artwork and in our every day lives (present time), as well.  Women in the artwork of the photos in this reading are clearly being looked and painted for the man’s pleasure. Whereas present day, we still see this (i.e. playboy magazine  or even walking on the street, types of modern visual media and film). I personally hated the picture in which a naked woman was holding a mirror, in a sense to represent vain. I am sure that the woman in this photo has way more depth to her than her naked body and other characteristics besides “vanity”. “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a  mirror in her hand  and you called the painting ‘Vanity’, thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you depicted for your own pleasure” (Berger, 51).

Picture from Berger's book vs. famous Titanic scene

Also, let’s be real. Lingerie is pretty uncomfortable, right ladies? We don’t wear something especially sexy yet ridiculously uncomfortable to sleep or walk around the house (if you do, kudos to you). We mainly bother to wear something so extra to appease our partner.

What is patriarchy (as described by bell hooks)?

Basically Bell Hooks is an issue that is both understood, learned and practiced by both genders. This is done by upholding those common gender roles whether we are doing it purposely or by habit. “Until we can acknowledge the damage that patriarchy causes and the suffering it creates, we cannot address male pain”. Hooks further states, “We cannot demand for men the right to be whole to be givers and sustainers of life… they are imprisoned by a system undermines their mental health” (Bell Hooks). In sum, what I grew up to know, is that patriarchy is a known dominance by a male over a female – without a good enough reason for that dominance. Men seem to hold certain roles and assign the other roles to women. I grew up in a typical patriarchal household I believe. My grandparents are still very “old school”. Even when my grandmother is not feeling well, she is expected to have dinner ready for her husband every single night at exactly the right time– along with their large house immaculately clean because “she doesn’t have anything better to do”. It’s a tough pill to swallow for me. Which is why I speak up in front of him and express my disappointment.

 

 

The most recent contemporary argument that comes to mind today is still in alignment with the male gaze and how we as a society continue to normalize the culture of feeling as if we need to act provocatively to get someone’s attention. There is a very popular man in Instagram, known as the “Slut Whisperer” (yup). He is known for hosting parties at night clubs in populated cities. His trademark is pouring champagne on women’s breasts at those bars/night clubs with everyone watching. The “Slut Whisperer” has an alarmingly large following and some women seem to even happy to be associated with him. This man encourages such wild and raunchy behavior at these promoted parties – so much so that it led to a popular bar right here in Jersey, being shut down temporarily due to the social culture of men wanting women to look and behave sexually. Attached is the link to the article in which I found the author depicted the situation justly. Please read for a more accurate and detailed summary. A quote from the New Jersey - Real Time News article reads, “It made me sad for those women, and angry at the men. The women seem to be enjoying the attention, the boys are getting cheap feels and thrills -- and everyone's cellphones are capturing it all. This is the "on-camera" generation, where privacy and dignity are traded for some kind of lonesome connectivity that some of us can never comprehend. Exhibitionism for women, voyeurism for men. Either way, it's plain damn unhealthy” (Mark Di Ionno, New Jersey Real Time News).