This Image represents the unity of women and how far we have come to fight for our rights as females and human beings without being afraid to be called out.
By: Falestine Awawdeh
Long Before ideals, rules, feminism, sex, and society's standards of how each gender should be, should behave and should dress their was just Adam and Eve. John Berger in his reading, "Ways of Seeing," explains the story through European art where Adam and Eve was not aware of themselves being nude until they ate an apple from a tree. The lord punished the woman for being naked and rewarded man by being his agent. Now how could this even be possible where before life itself according to many who believed Adam and Eve were the first living humans on earth, can still discriminate woman. Can still condemn woman of their rights, body and freedom to do and say as they please. Is it in the DNA of men, is it because of this story told through paintings that has rid men of ever understanding what, "Patriarchy," means by Bell Hooks. Or maybe the painting sparked a revolution from the start of the European paintings of Adam and Eve to present times. Where the creation of women through art including but not limited to photography, film, paintings, shows and movies portray them as sex symbols most of the time in which Laura Mulvey touches on these concepts using Psychoanalysis. All of which goes back to what the male gaze is really about, giving men the right to stare at women for whatever reason for however long they choose to even if nudity is involved. Which is why it is still popular in todays culture where female super hero's are created to look more sexy and bad ass then just be a hero like men. For instance wonder woman, cat woman, black window and mystique all possess the ability to kick ass while wearing the tightest costumes displaying their female figures and never having a dull moment previewing them as unattractive women throughout the film. The male gaze is also featured in TV shows such as two and half men, Game of Thrones, and Mad Men where the term Hooks says, "Imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy," is splattered all over these shows. White men over-powering women in all forms and making women look like sex objects instead of human beings. All of these shows have men with all the power, manipulating women for sex, making sure they understand that they are women so they have no will and most importantly have this aired live where millions of other young females can view this including young boys believing this is the right way to view each other. It’s the male gaze that has transcended all of this to occur. https://vimeo.com/77935410
But what about the oppositional gaze where females are forbidden to over-look men, stair or have any eye contact what's so ever. Hooks says, "As their daughter I was taught that it was my role to serve, to be weak, to be free from the burden of thinking, to care take and nurture others." While her brother was taught, "To be served; to provide; to be strong; to think, strategize, and plan; and to refuse to care take or nurture other." This is what Bell Hooks tries to describe how the male gaze compared to a female gaze especially a female African American who would be considered not home trained or lady like if she even gazed to long or performed any, "unladylike" activities. It also shows how the moment the mother finds out the sex of the child her mind is already made up as if she knows the exact life her child would live. What also gives to the reasons how the oppositional gaze was developed was through religious and church beliefs. We were all raised to believe god is a male, he rules all creations and everything in it as Bell Hooks explains her parents influence it had on her and how it was also another form of oppositional gaze and female regulations in society. Insert second link here. I to understand what that is like to be raised believing men are more worthy of me, men hold higher standards, men is, men is that, I was sick of hearing it that I almost believed it and became one of those females laid flat for a man to rule over me. But I chose me and not men, I chose a second way of living and breathing the air I want and going to school controlling my life as an independent female despite anyone's views or religious ideologies. These readings and personal life experiences has helped me understand not only how to live my life but to not accept any kind of male gazing even if it is out of pure innocents because once I allow them to do it once then they’ll think it's okay to do again. That is why media now I'm taught to see it in a female perspective more than anything. I chose to go against what makes female look un-prideful, unrepresentative of us by not supporting the media who do such things. I am a female who is a human being not an object and that’s that. http://www.iupui.edu/~msaiupui/roleofmuslimwomen.html
This image represent the female gaze and how females are treated everyday and through media and this picture represents the equality we deserve to have and the love both women and men should have when it comes to our bodies. Especially when were usually the females posing with less clothing then the male do.
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London, 1973. Print.
Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Understanding Patriarchy. 17-33. Print.
Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-44.
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