The Gaze

The male gaze is the way in which women are viewed from a male's perspective. In a man's perspective they see the perfect woman as a skinny, physically fit body with great curves. The ideal woman is not overweight and ugly. This vision ha been around forever so it only flourishes over time. Now women think they have to be these perfect women visions and men think they need these types of women. Pop culture now shows that in order to be successful and famous, you must be this "male gaze" vision. An example of this is movies where the male who is striving to get the female. No one wants to see a man trying to go for an overweight, acne filled woman. This shows that in order to be the girl the guy is always going for, one must make themselves "beautiful."

The oppositional gaze according to Bell Hooks is the

encouragement black women not to accept stereotypes in film and the representation that is put forth. One example showing the oppositional gaze is Spike Lee's film "Girl 6" when they show

Quentin Tarantino trying to cast the main role. He is the director of an all black film, but he is a white male. It is showing how even the whites are trying to control a movie that one would think is made by and for blacks.

After reading about the gaze and looking at media, I can see how much the gaze effects everything around us. From magazines to television to billboard ads. Both the male and oppositional gaze affects all aspects of our ways of living. You can't walk down the streets of New York without seeing a billboard of a sexy women. The male gaze is represented all around the city. Many films now show the oppositional gaze with all races making films representing their true heritage and opposing the way they have been viewed over thousands of years. Our society is changing fro both the better and the worst. Over time there will never be a change against the male gaze, but there is progress. It seems that everything revolve around the idea of this "gaze."