The Male Gaze

The Male Gaze

Zoya Ali
February 7, 2017

One of the most common (and favorable) subjects to paint has been, and may always be, the naked body. The vulnerability and authenticity is so simple, yet so beautiful. However, look at any piece of art from 15th century Europe and you will surely notice a difference between naked men and naked women. Many of those paintings showcase beautiful women with flawless skin and sensual eyes, posed toward spectators, either in out outside of the painting. This technique used to sexualize women in art is called the "male gaze."

 Rubens, The Judgement of Paris shows three naked women posed suggestively towards two men, as if they are trying to impress them. Notice how the women are facing the men, but their bodies are aimed at the spectator, so they are pleasing to both.

In his BBC documentary, "Ways of Seeing," John Berger talks about the difference of being naked and being nude. He explains that while naked, a person is completely themselves; they are not hiding and they are very vulnerable. On the other hand, to be nude means to be on display, for the pleasure of someone else. When nude, you are not seen for who you really are, but who the spectator wants to see. Berger goes on to explain that women painted with the male gaze in mind are always nude, not naked. Therefore, they are simply objects of attraction. 

Unfortunately, the male gaze was not left in the 15th century. It can be found in television, magazines, advertisements, and many other forms of media. Women in hamburger commercials are sexualized to get the attention of a male audience. Dolls are given unrealistic body types, making girls feel insecure and misrepresented. Women are given such high beauty standards because of the way we are portrayed in media.

This ad for Dolce & Gabbana is selling women's swimsuits, but you would never know it because the woman is being pinned down aggressively while a group of men watch.

A big factor as to why the male gaze is so common in our society is patriarchy. Bell Hooks, in her book, "Understanding Patriarchy," defines it as:

"a political-social 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 the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychoogical terrorism and violence." 

So many people are fine with women being misrepresented and sexualized because we are raised in a society that minimizes women's minds and talents, and instead makes us out to be objects of desire, pleasure, and perform "wifely duties." In her book, Hooks shares one of her first experiences with patriarchy within her family. She was playing marbles with her brother and she was winning. Her father was very upset by this, since, in his eyes, girls were not supposed to beat boys. So he grabbed her and beat her. She desribes, "His rage, his violence captured everyone's attention. Our family sat spellbound, rapt before the pornography of patriarchal violence."The words "pornagraphy of patriarichal violence" paint such a vivid image in my mind of just how traumatizing and violent patriarchy truly can be, yet as a society we are so desensitized to it because it happens everywhere: in religion, media, and homes.

To connect the male gaze to patriarchy, men have always felt superior. Women are painted as soft, sexual, desiring creature to remind men that they are masculine, strong, and capable. I chose to add the quote above because the decision of all of those male artists to portray women in a way to fulfill their own needs has created a society of women, young and old, doing outragous things to fit the beauty standards of those in paintings, movies, and television. The male gaze has been around to long, and I think it's time to put an end to this vicious trend. More and more artists are portraying women as we truly are, with all of our imperfections. We need to call out ads and other forms of media that use the male gaze to capture attention. We need to put an end to the sexualization of women in art for the pleasure of men. By doing so, we will create a generation of self-loving women .