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| The way the females breast are shown in the glasses of the man shows how men view females on a daily. When a man sees a attractive female his first thoughts are how her body is shaped and if she is pretty. This shows what our society is made of and how male gaze is still relevant in todays society. |
When looking at magazines, game shows, or even advertisements you notice how sexual mannered the women are dressed up, usually for the male gender. This brings the topic of “male gaze” and how it could still be a man’s world. Male gaze is the way a man views a female and how his expectations of a woman is only to look beautiful and nothing more or less. When viewing magazines or game shows, the women is usually tended to seduce the male viewer which results in more views or copies sold. This results in making males seem as if they have the upper hand in who is more superior even though we have changed so much as a community since the european times. John Berger in “Way of Seeing,” talks about male gaze and how “men act and women appear. 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” (Berger 47). Berger presents the image men have formed for women and shows us how men just look at women to see if they look beautiful or not and then also says how women wait to be looked at by men. This has been an issue since the middle ages and it still is one in many places around the world. Male gaze has been set into our mind and is still being passed down generations. Benger also goes on to say “Those who are not judged beautiful are not beautiful. Those who are, are given the prize. The prize is to be owned by a judge-that is to say to be available for him" (Berger 52). This shows how life was decided for women based of how much viewed them. It was like women had no other purpose in life other than looking beautiful and learning to provide everything for her man in the house. If a female weren't able to impress men she was considered useless. Today’s generation has grew in many ways people wouldn't have expected but male gaze are still a thing which is very disappointing because women are changing the world in today’s society.
Patriarchy defined by Bell Hooks is basically a system in which the male is presented to be the most dominating being. Male violence is a way of letting people know men are still the dominant figure in society. As Bell Hooks stated in her essay "Understanding Patriarchy,” “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence" (Hooks 18).” Hook’s explanation of patriarchy explains what has been our society forever. Men feel the right to have power over everyone and don't feel wrong in hurting anyone stopping them from feeling the power. Hook goes on to give an example of our society and states “As their daughter I was taught that it was my role to serve, to be weak, to be free from the burden of thinking, to caretake and nurture others. My brother was taught that it was his role to be served; to provide; to be strong; to think, strategize, and plan” (Hook 18). Many family still have the expectations of a women growing up to be a wife who cleans the house and looks good for her husband and produces kids. My grandmother actually told me how she was picked to marry my grandfather. Back when she was 20 years old, all her parents trained her to do was to clean the house and cook food. And when it came to go outside into the village she had to dress to impress because she could get an wedding offer any time. It was just so surreal seeing how my grandmother lived her life and how much it has changed since then. There has been many changes but even today patriarchy is still the same as before. Also patriarchy is seen when the female has to take the males last name rather than it being the other way around. The little things are what separates us from not living in a world of patriarchy.
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| This is what was and still is expected in many households around the world. The patriarchy is shown in the picture because the man looks as if he came from work and the women was home baking food for the children and husband |
As a male I honestly never noticed little thing that put females down and make them seem less superior. I have always seen females doing the housework and men doing all the work in which results the money for the family. But as I grew older I noticed how women were actually doing twice the amount of work as men, they worked out in the world and then would come home just to prepare food for the family. It put everything in a different perspective for me and now when I see magazines and commercials i notice the male gaze aspect of it and as a men i notice what is trying to be done. Both articles informed me and enlightened me with knowledge I plan to help pass on to other people who didn't know like me.
References:
1. Berger, John, Sven Blomberg, Chris Fox, Michael Dibb, and Richard Hollis. Ways of Seeing., 1973. Print.
2. Hooks, Bell. “Understanding Patriarchy”. The Will to Change. New York: Atria Books, 2004. 17-33. Print.
Link about Men Gaze and Patriarchy
https://everydayfeminism.com/2013/05/changing-male-gaze/
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