Male Gaze and Patriarchy

The artwork is used as a representation of one's point of view through a creative outlet. Some examples of artwork are painting, sculptures, visual representation and many more. From the eyes of the artist, it allows them to express what their view is of a situation. Some basic topics of artwork were nudity of women where the idea of male gaze and patriarchy is shown. Writers such as John Berger and Bell Hooks have analyzed these ideas in their works.  John Berger goes in-depth on how men view women in paintings and the idea of the male gaze. Bell Hooks explains how patriarchy is controlling a woman’s freedom of expression.

The male gaze is referred to as the act of how a woman is depicted in the world through visual representation such as art and literature from a masculine perspective that represents a woman as a sexual object for the pleasure of a male viewer. John Berger tries to express how women are expected to present themselves for men to view them. He writes “A man's presence suggests what he is capable of doing to you or for you. By contrast, a woman's presence . . . defines what can and cannot be done to her” (Berger 45). This idea of power between men and women explains that men are extrinsic while women are intrinsic. Men are defined by some object outside their body and women are based upon the conception of their body. Women are unable to express their own “presence” without the constant reminder of what men would view this image as. The pervasive of the idea of the male gaze can be presented in artwork. Berger explains “[y]ou painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting ‘Vanity,’ thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for you to own pleasure” (51).  This quote shows that female bodies are culturally presented as objects just for the pleasure of men to view them. Berger focuses on the reason why the naked women were painted by the address that she was only painted to be looked at and posed in a way that her body was shown to the viewers. The male gaze is also expressed in this quote written by Berger “To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself” (54). Women are objectified when they are in a painted for men to view. The images displayed below can show a physical representation of the male gaze. “The Judgement of Paris” show naked women and men that are fully clothed.  It tries to highlight how women should be seen without any article of clothing because they are the focal point of the painting. Another image also included below is “Reclining Bacchante” by Trutat where it shows a man looking at a naked woman laying down on a bed. She is laying in a way that represents her to bring easy access to have sex and how women should not be covered. These pieces of work represent the idea of the male gaze.

The idea of patriarchy, in terms of feminism, is "a system has denied males access to full emotional well-being, which is not the same as feeling rewarded, successful, or powerful because of one’s capacity to assert control over others” (Hooks 31). Males are desperately looking for places to hide their inadequacies and simply cannot match the masculine ideal taught to them from their childhood. Bell Hooks highlights this topic in her piece called Understanding Patriarchy. She writes “By placing the blame for the perpetuation of sexism solely on men, these women could maintain their own allegiance to patriarchy, their own lust for power. They masked their longing to be dominators by taking on the mantle of victimhood (Hooks 25).  This can relate to pop culture because men are " in crisis because women are properly challenging male dominance. Women are asking men to share the public reins and men can’t bear it" (Hooks 30). Society has pressured women to act is a specific causing male dominance to be challenged. Women are forced to work even harder in order for their voice to be heard. Patriarchy is a gender-based hierarchy where society assigns most power to men. 

Currently, this idea of women feeling powerless is expressed in pop culture and social media today. Females are more over-cautious when it comes to posting images of social media platforms. In Modern Culture, the male gaze and patriarchy is still an idea that is relevant and can lead to feminism. In reference to the male gaze, women are unable to be free because of the way they would be portrayed as revealing or asking for attention if they are not wearing the proper attire. In the idea of patriarchy, it shows a similar idea of being unable to express one's self without the constant reminder of being judged. Modern society has created many restrictions prevent women that are unfair which leads to the idea of feminism. Women are forced to work the extra mile to try to achieve their dreams and goals. Women have a harder chance of trying to excel in life because of the constant pressure of trying to settle down and start a family and are forced to push their career to the side. 

The Judgement of Paris by Rubens 1638-1639

Reclining Bacchante By Trutat 1824-1848.

Berger, John.  (2008). Ways of Seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation.

Hooks, Bell. (2010). Understanding Patriarchy. Louisville Anarchist Federation.