To Gaze With Perspective

             To gaze is to look with thought; the mere act of gazing forms a social relationship between the gazer and the gazed. However, the social relationship that is formed from gazing is unwritten and volatile; the only rules that are applicable are set by society. In Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, Mulvey introduces the concept of “the male gaze,” a social theory that refers to the dormant masculinity that exists within the world of media. According to Mulvey, a world “ordered by sexual imbalances, [where] pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female” is inevitably structured by social hierarchy, (Mulvey, 837). The passive/female (the gazed) becomes submissive to the active/male (the gazer); the female becomes an object of desire whereas the male looks for his desires within the female body. Its influence stems throughout all of humanity, including the world of media, a world consisting of human-made creations.

                The world of media is undoubtedly a reflection of the latent social hierarchy established by the sexual disparity between men and women. In John Berger’s “Way of Seeing,” Berger attempts to deconstruct the systematic nature of the inequality of gender. Berger’s focal point revolves around the concept of nakedness and nudity; he states, “To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself,” (Berger, 54). In other words, Berger states that nudity is a form of guise; it is meant to be viewed. 

Peter Paul Rubens' European Oil Painting
This illustration not only depicts the act of being nude but also demonstrates the passive role women play and the active role men play.

Berger reinforces this idea by studying historical artworks, from the Bible to early European paintings to the transition of digital media; all forms of visual media. For example, Peter Paul Rubens' European Oil Painting undoubtedly demonstrates the "male gaze" proposed by Mulvey where the women in question, are gazed by the men within the painting and also by the men in the intended audience group. All these visual creations were created with the intent of objectifying a woman’s body. The objectification of a woman’s body has also led to the overly sexualized identity of women. In Luis Quiles’ computerized illustrations, Quiles addresses the paradoxical crisis of a woman’s sexual identity. While historical artworks have portrayed women as sexual objects, women are not allowed to be overtly sexual; to be openly sexual is a taboo within the social realm. This ideology poses an identity crisis for all women where they are pressured to become sexual objects within a patriarchal society yet they are also rejected by the social world by becoming what society demands of them. The spectacle of the female body has diffused from text, to illustrations, to visual projections to the extent of a global phenomenon; it is countless centuries of reinforced behavior.

A collage of Luis Quiles' viral illustrations with regards to social media platforms.
Quiles tackles on the idea presented by Berger; the depiction of the female gender as as sexual spectacle, even across social media platforms.

             However, the rises of social movements, in the recent decades, have resulted in an attempt to combat the principles established by the male gaze. In response to the male gaze, Bell Hooks introduces the “critical gaze,” in her literary work, “The Oppositional Gaze.” Hooks argues that the critical/oppositional gaze is naturally formed and learned by those who are “subordinate in relations of power,” (Hooks, 116); she believes that the natural response of resisting reflects the injustice of unequal treatment. The oppositional gaze, by incorporating the gaze of the Self and the gaze of the Other, attempts to resist by creating awareness; by introducing individuals to various perspectives, they are given the abilities to properly address the social issues of gender inequality and engage in critical thinking and debating.

               Education has become a vital part in raising awareness against the hierarchical structure that exists across all forms of media. One key idea that I have grasp from the study of media is the importance of media literacy; nothing that is conveyed through a platform of media is an accident. By understanding the historical and cultural context, media can be addressed and understood to a greater extent. 

It should not be forgotten that Feminism should not be taught reinforced by women but by both men and women for the social reform to be implemented successfully.  

               It has ultimately allowed me to appreciate the significance of perspective. In order to understand and grow as an individual, perspective is key. To view a work of media from solely one lens of study is illogical and irresponsible. It is quintessential that, in a world where people are bounded to endless platforms of media, gain new perspectives by asking the question, “why?” in all the things that he/she does.

                From the perspective of a male, I have never deconstructed media to the extent that I have throughout my college career. However, just as women are valued for what others gaze at them for, men are valued for what they have to offer as the gazer.  The concept of inequality exists across all human beings. Whether if it is sourced from social, cultural, or physical aspects of a person, people look to differences; a relationship between a man and a woman is no exception. As humanity ‘s social world slowly but progressively advances, differences will not be eliminated but acknowledged. Although different in various ways, I believe that one gender does not triumph over the other. Just as nature had intended, we have evolved to help fill what the other lacks.

How has social progression changed feminism?

Works Cited:

Berger, John. "Chapter 3," Way of Seeing. pp 45-65. Accessed February 10, 2016. Web.

Hooks, Bell. "Chapter 7: The Oppositional Gaze." Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992. pp 115-31. Accessed February 10, 2016. Web.

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Barudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: pp. 833-44. Accessed February 10, 2016. Web.