Ways of Seeing

What is the male gaze? The idea of the male gaze is that “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” In this context, and that in which the text describes is that women as objects for the purpose of men to look at and that women objectify themselves in order to be looked at, and desired by the man. Is this entirely true? Is this really how women and men perceive themselves in relation to each other? I’m not entirely certain that this idea of the male gaze is correct, but I cannot say that it is incorrect as well. As a man, I agree that I find myself looking at women, and find myself wondering if this is what the “male gaze” is essentially. Am I objectifying women simply by looking at them? Or do I have to while looking at them desire them or actively perceive them as objects? I don’t believe that I objectify women simply by looking at them, but in some weird way I feel as though this is what the text is trying to relay. On the other hand, media in most forms, which a model is trying to sell a product, is trying to make the man look at her, and say to the man “Hey there, buy this product, and you can have me.” Beer commercials for instance, with the girls in their bikinis, it’s obvious that the purpose of the model is for the viewing pleasure of the man, which makes her an object of the man’s desire. Furthermore, what about the “female gaze” is there not such a thing? When women objectify men in advertisements and walking down the street. Or is the opposite true that men are not objectified simply by the clothes they are wearing? In turn making women the ones in a matriarchal, powerful, idealistic position? At this point I feel as though I’m arguing for arguments sake, so to conclude, like I’ve said before, I don’t agree or disagree with the male gaze, with categorizing anything there’s always going to be someone who looks at it differently.

Moving on, what is the oppositional gaze and why has it developed? Simply put, it is the challenge to look while authority tells you not to look. Looking at something simply because someone has told you not to look at it. I understand the original oppositional gaze was to defy slaveholders, and must have been empowering to be able to do something in defiance. Small steps toward a better world, when the authority is making bad moral decisions. I also agree with the idea of “teaching to transgress” the ability to teach someone how to get out of repression, by using the oppositional gaze as a teaching tool. In modern times, the oppositional gaze is using in defiance of love affairs, if a husband tells his friend to stop looking at his wife, and he does it when he not looking, or if a child is told not to watch a rated R film and sneaks into a theatre. I feel like the motives behind the oppositional gaze are different and hold less impact.