Marely Fontanez

Art and Women

Post 1

The Male Gaze and Patriarchy

            The male gaze is the way women are objectified in imagery for the sole purpose of satisfying and pleasing a male audience. In his book “Ways of Seeing”, John Berger describes the male gaze by looking at early forms of European Art, mainly nude paintings. First Berger takes a look at the difference between being naked and nude. Naked, as Berger describes it, is just simply being without clothes. Nudity then transforms being naked into art. To be nude is to be seen naked by others this turns the subject of an artwork into an object, an object to be displayed. In European art women subject are put on display for what is assumed a male spectator. The image is meant to satisfy the spectator. The way a woman is positioned, her stare, body language is all meant to appeal to the male spectator. John Bergen describes the objectifying of women in art for the satisfaction of a male audience in chapter three of his book “Ways of Seeing.” As he describes Venus in the painting “Venus, Cupid, Time and Love” by Bronzino, Berger states, “Her body is arranged in the way it is, to display it to the man looking at the picture. This picture is made to appeal to his sexuality. It has nothing to do with her sexuality” (55).  The way women are depicted shows us nothing about her because she is merely an object. Women are also portrayed as being aware of being seen by the spectator. This notion that the woman is aware of being seen and in most cases staring back passively is a sign of her submission to the spectator. The male gaze continues to exist today in advertising, television and other forms of media. The reason why the male gaze exists and is so prevalent in art and media is linked to the existence of patriarchy.

            Patriarchy is a social and political system that believes in male dominance and superiority over females in particular. It is a system that is defined by gender roles. Females are taught to be weak, to obey, to care take and nurture others. Males are taught to be strong, to provide, to rule, and use violence if necessary to maintain his dominance. Bell Hooks explains patriarchy and her own experience with it in her book “The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love.” She states, “At church they had learned that God created man to rule the world and everything in it and that it was the work of women to help men perform these task, to obey, and to always assume a subordinate role in relation to a powerful man” (18). Patriarchy was instilled in Hooks’ parents through religion. They embraced this thinking and passed it on to Hooks and her brother.

            From a young age I have been aware of the male gaze in media and various forms of art but did not know that it was called “the male gaze.” It is hard for someone, especially a woman, to not notice the way females are portrayed in art and how the main focus is to grab the attention of the opposite sex. From an even younger age I was aware of patriarchy and the role it played in my family. I watched my mother as she cooked and cleaned and served my father in a way that seemed like more of an obligation than a desire. It was obvious the dominance he had over her and I despised it. Reading Bell Hooks I did appreciate her inclusion of how patriarchy has disadvantages for men as well as woman. After reading John Berger’s explanation of the male gaze I am more disturbed by advertisements that include women. Sometimes when I would see a women being objectified in an ad I wouldn’t think it was a big deal because the company was just trying to appeal to male consumers in order to make profits from their service and products. But after reading Berger I see how deeply this is rooted in patriarchy and it is quite disturbing.

In this advertisement the woman is used to attract men to this product. Vodka along with many other products are consumed or used by both men and women but ads are made predominantly to attract men by using women as subjects that are sexualized. The woman in this ad is in an attractive pose and has an inviting stare.

In this advertisement the woman is in a submissive position, which is nothing new. This ad is targeted to attract men. This ad appeals to men’s sexuality.

Bibliography

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Classics, 1972.

Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Washington Square Press, 2003.