Roba Alamari
Professor Cacoilo
Media 384
February 25, 2017
Ways Of Seeing
The single most important thing about a woman is how she appears. Even if a woman does have power,
her lack of physical beauty, by societal standards, makes her less powerful by default. Her sexuality must be
available and submissive. Power never seems to come from the mans physicality. The patriarchy has
embedded a culture of hyper masculinity and sexualizing women. Males are to be the dominating figures
whose importance lies in their capabilities and actions. Women are expected to be passive and submissive
because their worth lies in their appeasing looks and ability to nurture. In Bellhooks Understanding Patriarchy,
she states, “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to
everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule
over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence,”
(Bellhooks, 18). This “psychological terrorism” is what it known to be “the male gaze.” The male gaze is
essentially an ideology that reflects on how women towards themselves, and society as a whole, view and
value them through their appeasement of men. Berger goes into depth about this phenomena in Ways of
Seeing. “One might simplify this by saying men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch
themselves being looked at,” (47). Women have grown accustomed to “societal standards” of beauty, but who
set these standards? Beauty is no longer judged by how a woman feels about herself- but how acceptable it is
through a mans gaze. The part of a woman that fixes her looks for the approval of males, is in itself male. She
no longer knows how to value herself beyond that of a mans measurement of her. This pervasive form of
vision is no doubt a direct result of the patriarchal dominated culture we live in.
http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/05/patriarchy-and-how-it-shows-up-for-everyone/ Throughout history,
women have been domesticated nurturers and men have been the breadwinners. Women have always been
accessories to the dominance of a man. In Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey talks
about how even in cinema, women are denied characters that embody complex, multidimensional identities,
which is essentially a humanistic attribute.
her lack of physical beauty, by societal standards, makes her less powerful by default. Her sexuality must be
available and submissive. Power never seems to come from the mans physicality. The patriarchy has
embedded a culture of hyper masculinity and sexualizing women. Males are to be the dominating figures
whose importance lies in their capabilities and actions. Women are expected to be passive and submissive
because their worth lies in their appeasing looks and ability to nurture. In Bellhooks Understanding Patriarchy,
she states, “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to
everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule
over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence,”
(Bellhooks, 18). This “psychological terrorism” is what it known to be “the male gaze.” The male gaze is
essentially an ideology that reflects on how women towards themselves, and society as a whole, view and
value them through their appeasement of men. Berger goes into depth about this phenomena in Ways of
Seeing. “One might simplify this by saying men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch
themselves being looked at,” (47). Women have grown accustomed to “societal standards” of beauty, but who
set these standards? Beauty is no longer judged by how a woman feels about herself- but how acceptable it is
through a mans gaze. The part of a woman that fixes her looks for the approval of males, is in itself male. She
no longer knows how to value herself beyond that of a mans measurement of her. This pervasive form of
vision is no doubt a direct result of the patriarchal dominated culture we live in.
http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/05/patriarchy-and-how-it-shows-up-for-everyone/ Throughout history,
women have been domesticated nurturers and men have been the breadwinners. Women have always been
accessories to the dominance of a man. In Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey talks
about how even in cinema, women are denied characters that embody complex, multidimensional identities,
which is essentially a humanistic attribute.
report_n_3273398.html They are objectified and are there to give men a sense of power and enjoyment when
seeing erotic looking characters that are there for their liking.
seeing erotic looking characters that are there for their liking.
 |
Representations of women in the media are only “accurate” if they tap into their sexuality
|
The oppositional gaze is synonymous to rebellion. In Bellhooks Oppositional Gaze he talks about how
gazing can change your very reality. “Even in the worst circumstances of domination, the ability to manipulate
ones gaze in the face of stricter or domination that would contain it, opens the possibility of agency, (116).
Gaze in of itself can be used as a form of opposition because “the black male gaze seemed to always subject
to control and/or punishment by the powerful white, (Bellhooks, 118). It has been used by the oppressed to
defy. The “oppositional black gaze” was developed as a direct response to the lack of black representation in
the media, specifically black women. To look away is to protest, and in turn, gave rise to the independent
black cinema.
gazing can change your very reality. “Even in the worst circumstances of domination, the ability to manipulate
ones gaze in the face of stricter or domination that would contain it, opens the possibility of agency, (116).
Gaze in of itself can be used as a form of opposition because “the black male gaze seemed to always subject
to control and/or punishment by the powerful white, (Bellhooks, 118). It has been used by the oppressed to
defy. The “oppositional black gaze” was developed as a direct response to the lack of black representation in
the media, specifically black women. To look away is to protest, and in turn, gave rise to the independent
black cinema.
I’ve come to understand these structures as connecting elements of a historical societal structure. In a
world bent on fixating our perceptions, we fail to think critically and connect the dots. From slavery, to
patriarchy, to racism, to the male gaze, to connection between rebellion and oppositional gaze, and to the
capitalistic enterprise, I see how everything is interconnected.
world bent on fixating our perceptions, we fail to think critically and connect the dots. From slavery, to
patriarchy, to racism, to the male gaze, to connection between rebellion and oppositional gaze, and to the
capitalistic enterprise, I see how everything is interconnected.
 |
| It's all or nothing. Unless you're willing to fight for everyone, don't expect change. |
I grew up with a patriarchal mindset truly embedded in my everyday life, and I’ve acknowledged this form of
oppression that I, and millions of others, have endured from the minute we were born. In fact, acknowledging
this is one of the many reasons I chose to dress how I dress. As a Muslim, the headscarf and loose clothing,
among many other things, is there to make sure I am heard and not just seen. It allows me to project
empowerment and strength by freeing myself of standards of beauty and from being judged by physicality
rather than intellect. These readings mostly helped me to think more critically about the world around me and
why we do what we do, especially today, in a media controlled society.
oppression that I, and millions of others, have endured from the minute we were born. In fact, acknowledging
this is one of the many reasons I chose to dress how I dress. As a Muslim, the headscarf and loose clothing,
among many other things, is there to make sure I am heard and not just seen. It allows me to project
empowerment and strength by freeing myself of standards of beauty and from being judged by physicality
rather than intellect. These readings mostly helped me to think more critically about the world around me and
why we do what we do, especially today, in a media controlled society.
Works Cited
- Hooks, Bell. Understanding Patriarchy . The Will To Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Washington Square Press, 2004.
- Berger, John. Chapter 2-3. Ways of Seeing. 1972.
- Mulvey, Laura. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. New York: Oxford UP 1999.
- Hooks, Bell. The Oppositional Gaze. Black Looks: Race and Representations. South End Press, 1992.
No comments:
Post a Comment