Gazes

The Male Gaze

The gaze as defined in the dictionary is: A steady intent look, A particular perspective taken to embody certain aspects of the relationship between observer and observed, esp. as reflected in the way in which an author or film director (unconsciously or otherwise) directs attention . So one could safely assume that this has something to do with the way men look at some object. The object in question here are females and the female form.

Mulvey wrote her essay in 1975 “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” when most film audiences were male. In her essay, Mulvey states that in film women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera (and thus the gaze) comes from factors such as the as the assumption of non homesexual  men as the default target audience for most film genres. The base concept of men as watchers and women as watched still applies today, despite the growing number of movies targeted toward women and that feature female stars. To watch signifies power. Slaves were punished because they were not allowed to look upon the white man or his women. They were stripped of that power or right.

The female form and the way it is portrayed to the masses is an image that has been formed by men, for men. This makes a bit of sense because we as men know what we want to see in the female body. The man gazing at an object in fact believes he owns or can possess the object being gazed at. In the fictional world of movies we men tend to become the male heroes and the women in the movies become our own. A form of fantasy yes. Nonetheless it is a fantasy that fuels billions upon billions of dollars into the media industries. Movies, print you name it. So the male gaze and the way men look at things has become the “lens” through which most media is produced.

The oppositional gaze

The oppositional gaze that Bell Hooks refers to is in fact the opposite of the male gaze. It encourages black women not to accept stereotypical representations in film but to instead criticize them. It is a way for the feminist woman to reclaim her identity and to stop being objectified by men.

These different views play a major part of society and our lives today. Because of this I am led to believe that I must fall in love with a beautiful slim woman with long hair and a beautiful body. Right! Has not quite worked out that way for me. In many ways I have learned to not conform to the things that the media thinks is right.