Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently the power holders while women
are inferior. They are endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that
dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence. Within all societies, religion, and
personal households, women are often treated as second class citizens. Patriarchy conditions men to feel
powerful and to objectify women, hence the connection of patriarchy to the male gaze. Women in media
today are often portrayed from the masculine perspective. They are presented as objects of pleasure for
men.Laura Mulvey called this representation of women, “the male gaze.” The misinterpretation and
objectification of women are rooted in the patriarchal ideology of the society. As opposed to male gaze,
oppositional gaze is the way black women are represented in the media. The phrase was developed by Bell
Hooks in 1992. Hooks argued that black people, and specifically women in particular, are often
misrepresented in the media or not represented at all. The oppositional gaze is the direct response and
rebellion to their misrepresentation in film. Black women were objectified, not only by men, but also by
white culture. They were denied voice and authenticity in their representation. However as women they
were also victims of the male gaze, and the rules of a patriarchal society. The documentary, Miss
Representation highlights women’s underrepresentation of women in politics, power, and influence. The
documentary really summarized the complexities of representations of women in our world and showed us
just how connected these concepts of patriarchy, male gaze, and oppositional gaze are, and how they’ve
been imbedded in a culture dominated by the media. It teaches us to challenge our world and perceptions
and to be ambitious in our own goals and excel. Above all, the documentary teaches us the importance of
being critical, especially in a society where we have been conditioned not to think, just to observe and retain.
dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence. Within all societies, religion, and
personal households, women are often treated as second class citizens. Patriarchy conditions men to feel
powerful and to objectify women, hence the connection of patriarchy to the male gaze. Women in media
today are often portrayed from the masculine perspective. They are presented as objects of pleasure for
men.Laura Mulvey called this representation of women, “the male gaze.” The misinterpretation and
objectification of women are rooted in the patriarchal ideology of the society. As opposed to male gaze,
oppositional gaze is the way black women are represented in the media. The phrase was developed by Bell
Hooks in 1992. Hooks argued that black people, and specifically women in particular, are often
misrepresented in the media or not represented at all. The oppositional gaze is the direct response and
rebellion to their misrepresentation in film. Black women were objectified, not only by men, but also by
white culture. They were denied voice and authenticity in their representation. However as women they
were also victims of the male gaze, and the rules of a patriarchal society. The documentary, Miss
Representation highlights women’s underrepresentation of women in politics, power, and influence. The
documentary really summarized the complexities of representations of women in our world and showed us
just how connected these concepts of patriarchy, male gaze, and oppositional gaze are, and how they’ve
been imbedded in a culture dominated by the media. It teaches us to challenge our world and perceptions
and to be ambitious in our own goals and excel. Above all, the documentary teaches us the importance of
being critical, especially in a society where we have been conditioned not to think, just to observe and retain.
- Hussein Farraj, Ekaterine Kervalishvili, Roba Alamari
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