Looking has a great influence. Male gaze "is confrontational, authoritative and political. It is also dangerous because there is a certain power that when the male looks, he holds this power over a woman Bell Hooks (115). That is, the male gaze is the look that asserts his dominance and control over the woman. It is a strategy of domination males possess of females as an apparatus and mechanisms of control. It is a power system that does not give room for freedom (116). Bella Hook says "Women learn to have a rebellious and opposing gaze to look a certain way in order to resist the male gaze(116).
According to Bell Hooks, the oppositional gaze is a powerful look that challenges authority and serves as a powerful tool for colonized black people globally. Black women refer to the gaze as a form of resistance to the male gaze and its perception of the ideal image of woman. (116)
When most black people in the United States first had the opportunity to look at film and television, they did so fully aware that mass media was a system of knowledge and power reproducing and maintaining white supremacy. To stare at the television, or mainstream movies, to engage its images, was to engage its negation of black representation. It was the oppositional black gaze that responded to these looking relations by developing independent black cinema. Bell Hooks (117). As spectators, black men could repudiate the reproduction of racism in cinema and television, the negation of black presence even as they could feel as though they were rebelling against white supremacy by daring to look by engaging phallocentric politics of spectatorship. Given the real life public circumstances wherein black men were murdered/lynched for looking at white womanhood, where the black male gaze was always subject to control and /or punishment by the powerful white other, the private realm of television screens or dark theaters could unleash the represses gaze. Bell Hooks (118).
According to Bella Hooks, pg. 118, Major early black male independent filmmakers represented black women in their films as objects of male gaze. Even when representations of black women were present in film, our bodies and being were there to serve-to enhance and maintain white womanhood as object of the phallocentric gaze. Bell Hooks (119).
Men survey women before treating them. Consequently, how a woman appears to a man can determine how she will be treated. One might simplify this by saying: men act and women appear Men look at women, women watched themselves been looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves. The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed female. Thus she turns herself into an object and most particularly an object of vision: a sight. John Berger (46) (47).
With my work experience in Radio and TV broadcasting, I watch television and videos a lot of times, I now understand the production of the male gaze. Universally, our way of life is centered on presenting women as sexual objects whether it’s through billboards, music videos, magazines, or movies; women are the central source for drawing the audience. They are consistently being portrayed as objects of viewing pleasure. For instance, in most TV ad where cars or any other is advertised, women are used to sort of seduce the viewer to get full attention. Watch this image.Works Cited:
Hooks, Bell. In Black Looks; Race and Representation. Boston Massachusetts: South End Press, 1992.
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London, England, 1972
We both share the same perspective on how the media portrays women. Women are, indeed, presented as sexual objects in videos, magazines, and in reality, most women allow themselves to be treated that way. Most are aware of what they are doing, yet they seem to not care for what they are doing. Maybe if women stopped letting themselves be portrayed that way, men would stop thinking they're objects.
ReplyDeleteStefania, you rightly has a point. That, I think has been the discussion in many circles;the fact that many will stop seeing women as objects even in car commercials and others. But again it's sad because even then we blame women for allowing themselves to be used as such.
DeleteAs somebody that is heavily into cars (obsessed even) i have to say that adds that use women to get attention are hiding something. The example you have was a BMW add. And while stereotypes may hurt, but think of the typical BMW driver and you wil see its less about the car, the feeling, their enjoyment, rather than what others think of them. They want to be seen, and less to do.
ReplyDeleteIf one would look at cars that have become classic, their adds, were mostly about two aspects, that manage to combine male and oppositional gazes. Good cars that become icons, both were LOOKED at, and as well as ACTED. Think the photos of a car parked, being admired, and the photos of it driving, sliding, performing.
AL,i like your input and the way you liken this with how new cars are looked. That's also a good point. In effect, will it be right to say that women women seemingly, in this case are treated like some of these porsh cars?
DeleteYour cognition at understanding the male gaze as a universal trait in cultural media is very understandable and makes a valid point. I suggest using quotes less and talk more about your opinion of what you understood.
ReplyDeleteChristian, Thank you. Your suggestion is highly regarded.
DeleteI must agree with your response to the post because I had the same perspective as you. You touched based on how women are objects in the world especially in todays society in magazine and videos. Women just let themselves be looked at by men and just allow themselves to act. Maybe if women didn't allow themselves to be represented in this form than there wouldn't be a male gaze. Other than that I did a similar example and response but I liked how you out a different thought into it.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, Thanks.Interestingly disturbing to realize that the object which in this case is the woman "allows herself" to be used by the spectator, who is the male.
DeleteFrom the time of European oil paintings to this day, women are still used in the way of being an object of desire to be looked at. So many of today's ads uses women's bodies as a means of selling some kind of product. This could be a complicated topic. Women could stop letting themselves become the object in the males eyes. However, women being the main attraction to look at is something that dominates our popular culture and media. All in all, I enjoyed how you related the male gaze in various ads of today.
ReplyDeleteAngela, exactly. men use women in ads in all forms just to sell one kind of product or the other.
DeleteYou didn’t cite the sources correctly. I like how you get straight to the point you don’t go around in circles trying to find a way to make us understand what you are trying to say. For example the first sentence of your essay says, “Looking has a great influence,” you say exactly what you are thinking. At times what you were trying to say got a little confusing but overall I liked it. Good job well done.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, Thanks for your input. The source will be looked at. I had it save through the link so I have to check again. Thanks for joining the discussion.
DeleteHi I liked your post a lot . I was wondering what kind of work you do with tv broadcasting ? I totally agree with what you said about how women are the center of car commercials. Whenever a company is trying to get you to buy their product, there's always a half naked women involved, which I think is very sad.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, as a tv host of music programmes and radio morning shows.Anyway, clearly the surveyor;man has for a long time taken advantage of the object;woman for a long time. Think of it Tiffany, not only in ads for cars. Even in radio commercials too;why would an ad agency use a "female voice over" for a "male condom ad"?.
ReplyDelete