The Male Gaze and Patriarchy

      The male gaze, according to John Berger, is how men see women in the world. In "Ways of Seeing," John Berger argues that a man's life should revolve around power and that they have a specific place in the world in which they are to accomplish certain tasks. In contrast, Berger thinks that women just need to be aware of themselves because they do not have the potential that men have. This can be seen in image 1, which is from Berger's "Ways of Seeing," where a woman is naked and there is a man looking at her. In this image we notice that the woman is appearing submissive which indicates that the man holds all the power in this situation. Berger writes, "Men survey women before treating them. Consequently, how a woman appears to a man can determine how she will be treated...every one of her actions - whatever its direct purpose or motivation - is also read as an indication of how she would like to be treated" (Berger 47). According to Berger, the way a woman acts and holds herself is to show men how she wants to be treated. This can be seen in the image below. In image 2, a man is assessing women in front of him to determine how to treat them. This can be related to the idea of women being treated based on her actions, like Berger mentions. In the image the women are naked and each woman is acting differently. In today's culture this concept is not acceptable because women do not like it when "men survey" them "before treating them" (Berger 47). This can be seen when men stop women in the street and ask if they can talk to them for a minute. This has become a huge problem in present day society because everything a woman does, people think that they are doing it to attract attention to themselves.

Image 1: Reclining Bacchante By Trutat 1824-1848. This image is taken from Berger's "Ways of Seeing."

Image 2: A man is seen looking at women. This image shows that the way a woman holds herself determines how men will treat her. 

      The male gaze is pervasive in art and popular culture because everyone in society thinks about these issues. They have many opinions about this which makes it a controversial issue, therefore making it more widespread. Berger writes, "Thus she turns herself into an object...the woman is blamed and is punished by being made subservient to the man. In relation to the woman, the man becomes the agent of God" (Berger 47, 48). Essentially, Berger refers to women as objects and as someone who has no authority over their own lives. Women are seen as someone beneath men. This can cause many debates among women because women are not objects. They are not beneath men. They are humans, just like men, and have the free will to live their lives as they choose. This is a never ending issue and still occurs in today's society which means that women are still fighting for themselves. These debates about the male gaze and how it is an issue in society, makes it pervasive in art and in popular culture.

      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" (Hooks 18). As a daughter, Hooks was taught to be weak and "be free from the burden of thinking" (Hooks 18). People have become so accustomed to this idea of patriarchy that even males who are initially against the idea of holding power over women, eventually succumb to it. Hooks met a man whose father was violent and an alcoholic and when he was twelve, he began to live with his mother. He was gentle, and due to his gentle manner folks thought of him as "weak and powerless" and he then began to "embrace the dominator model that he had once critiqued" (Hooks 28). This change in his behavior was triggered by his desire to be accepted and affirmed in a patriarchal workplace and rationalized by his desire to get ahead" (Hooks 28). Society pushes men to embrace the dominating position. The man used to be gentle, but by being gentle he stood out in society. Due to the need to conform to society, and the need of being accepted by everyone, he embraced the power and position that he once detested due to his father' abusive and alcoholic character. 

      Throughout my life, I have been aware of the concept of men being the superior figure in a household, however I was not aware that this concept had a technical word to describe it: patriarchy. Growing up, I have been exposed to various cultural television shows that dictate the concept of patriarchy. I always thought that patriarchy was a common occurrence, that it was normal for all girls to stay home at night while their brothers and other friends were able to hang out. What I did not realize is that we make this occurrence common. Our parents and relatives enforce this concept on us and make us believe that this is the way life works. After reading Hooks text I realized that women are also responsible for the concept of patriarchy. Mothers teach their children from a younger age that there are certain things that a boy should not do and certain things that a girl should not do. If we stop forcing this boundaries on the behavior of children based on their gender there is a possibility that men will not always feel the need to be the dominate figure. 

      Furthermore, many arguments have arisen from these things. One example is the female gaze. In the female gaze we can see what a woman experiences. The female gaze emphasizes how it feels like when you are treated like an object. Many movies include the male gaze, such as The Fast and the Furious. In these movies, women are shown as someone who is present just for the satisfaction of men. Since the male gaze is pervasive and many debates arise from it, women are beginning to speak up and some movies, artwork, and shows have begun to show the female gaze. The purpose of the female gaze is not to assert dominance. It is just to show that women have feelings also and they are capable of emotion. That they are not just a body and an object. With more women speaking up, the female gaze can be prioritized and it can be broadcasted throughout movies, television shows, and artworks. 

Work Cited

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

Hooks, Bell. (2010). Understanding Patriarchy. Louisville Anarchist Federation.
Forster, Stefani. (2018, June 12). Yes, there's such a thing as a 'female gaze.' Medium. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/truly-social/yes-theres-such-a-thing-as-a-female-gaze-but-it-s-not-what-you-think-d27be6fc2fed 

Valadon, Suzanne. (1911). Image:Joy of Life. Retrieved from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/489551