The male gaze as I understand it is the way a woman is objectified in imagery. Images in which the woman is the main focus not necessarily for her empowerment but rather for the audience. She is reduced to an object; a piece of meat.

Seeming she exists to be gazed at, to gawk at her scantily clad sometimes naked body. She is exposed, not celebrating the power she has in her beauty and confidence but to satisfy the desires of her audience. John Berger in “Ways of seeing” draws reference to the male gaze, he says “she has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others and ultimately how she appears to men is of ultimate importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life.” She is constantly aware of the gaze so much so that she continuously watches herself, always conscious of the way she is seen by others.
Looking on the other hand allows one to regain the power lost by the male gaze. Specifically Bell Hooks focus on “The Oppositional gaze” lures us into the world of The black female spectator. I can definitely relate to her as she recalls her childhood being restricted from being an active spectator. I was taught as a child that girls were to be seen and not heard; as depicted in the male gaze. The power that was gained through looking came by way of being able as black females to not just sit aside and look pretty but to look at media especially with a critical eye. Black women were not equally represented in media and having the power to “look” brought that fact to their attention, which thankfully allowed women to make a change. I’m thankful for women like Bell Hooks who captured the power a woman can gain in looking.

The Power lies within the eyes.