The Male Gaze and The Patriarchal Society VS. The Oppositional Gaze- ASHLEY ROTH

Ashley Roth

9/16/16

The Male Gaze and The Patriarchal Society VS. The Oppositional Gaze

There was an era in Hollywood films, spanning through the 1930’s to the 1950’s which focused on mainly on the beauty of white women. Most of the producers and directors hired beautiful white women to portray ‘women’ as being passive, fragile objects who required a man to take ‘action’ and save them from any dilemma or issue a woman faced in the movie industry.  Consequently, the “Male Gaze Theory”, main mission is to focus solely on the pleasure of men who are encouraged to gaze at women’s body parts and view women as ‘object’s. According to Bell Hook’s article, Understanding Patriarchy, “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 maintain dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence” (pg. 18).  There are various filming and media techniques in commercials, movies, advertising companies, magazines and news media which focus solely on women’s body parts as ‘objects’ rather than view them as human beings.  In the Hollywood era of films, female stars were picked solely on the basis of their physical beauty, their voluptuous body parts, who were helpless and usually fell in love with the “dominant, controlling male actor” who took an active role to solve any issue or problems for these ladies in distress.  Women were viewed as emotionally fragile ‘objects’ who needed a ‘man’ to save them.  Male actors, for example, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Grant, and Edward G. Robinson’s mission was to lead the audience through their narration of the storyline, as well as, take charge of their females in distress to help rescue them from any issue or problem they face in the film.  They were viewed to be physically stronger than their female counterparts, as well as, they possessed the intelligence to take control and save the ‘damsels’ in distress.  Unfortunately, the “Male Gaze”, continues to portray beautiful women as sexual objects rather than as human beings.  There are various filming techniques, commercials, advertisements in various magazines, news media to accentuate around women’s body parts rather than view them as human beings.  The Male Gaze occurs because the audience (spectators) are influenced through the viewpoint of men.  The media’s main goal is to allow men to enjoy their sexual pleasure, fantasies and excitement by gazing at women solely as ‘objects’, and it encourages men to dominate and control women.  The Male Gaze Theory continues to exist because the public are not educated about the trickery as to how the media continues to portray how “Traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to be looked- at- ness”, as well as, “Women displayed as sexual objects is the erotic spectacle” (Mulvey, pg. 837).  Women are still willing and ready to portray their bodies as objects in various media outlets.  People from generation to generation have been brainwashed in a Patriarchal society to view men as powerful, able and ready to save their women who are merely an object to control and dominate. 

In the weekly television series, Miami Vice, it was a series that revolved around fighting against drug trafficking and prostitution in Miami.  Women were portrayed as sexy, and gorgeous who lusted for money, wealth, drugs and depicted to be easily exploited by men who would ‘buy them’ with their money and drugs.  In the film, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Leonardo DiCaprio portrays the rise of a wealthy stock broker who lives a luxurious life and he eventually goes to jail.  The movie displays beautiful women (prostitutes) who are willing to reward stock brokers who became wealthy and successful.  In the movie, Wall Street (2010), starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, Darryl Hannah is given by Michael Douglas to Charlie Sheen as a reward for being an up and coming stockbroker.  On the Fox News Channel, various female newscasters are mostly blond, beautiful, dress sexily, with makeup and high heeled pumps. On the political show, Outnumbered, there are four beautiful, sexy women with low cut dresses and they are shown wearing very short dresses and sexy legs.  There is one man who is being interviewed by all of them.  This is the type of media which misleads many women in our modern society. The man being interviewed is probably envied by every clueless-male viewing it, wishing he was the one surrounded by these women.  The women are poised, well- educated but they themselves are accentuating the problems in our society as being sex objects.  I do not believe that men who watch this are listening to their points of views.  Women must feel terrible and wish they were as beautiful and sexy as these women are portraying to its audience.  These women are as guilty as the Fox News Channel station who produce such shows.  Unfortunately, these women might not feel empowered within themselves to go against the network’s rules for dictating the ‘code’ for their attire, their makeup and their hair styles.  Unfortunately, it is true that this is learned behavior by generations of women and men in earlier decades.  Two years ago when I worked at a day camp, the kids would sit in a circle and introduce themselves to each other.  They stated their name, favorite activity and their favorite color. There was one boy who said his favorite color was pink and the other kids laughed at him and said “Pink is a girl’s color.” When I heard this, I told the children that pink is a color for both boys and girls. One little girl told me that her mother dresses her in pink and her brother in blue.  In different forms of media, even parents are brainwashed by commercials, television programs, and by clothing manufacturers who advertise on television, create magazine images depicting girls in pink and boys in blue.


This image represents the objectification of the woman's body in the clothing industry. 
This advertisement objectifies a woman's body as a "sex object." 

The Oppositional Gaze article by Bell Hooks notes that slaves were forbidden by white slave owners to stare at people since it can be communicated as being a confrontational’ act to “resist or challenge authority” (pg. 116). Sadly, if these people looked (gazed) they would be punished and as history repeats itself, generations of African American children were taught not to “gaze” or they would be punished. As a result, even though they were intimidated and feared retribution, African Americans were enticed to look at the ‘forbidden fruit’ in the media industry.  As a result, African Americans rebelled against white supremacy and the socially acceptable white male dominated ‘Patriarchal’ Society’.  This type of critical observation by an oppositional gaze allowed African American women to critique the media industry and make known that African Americans were being mocked as ignorant, worthless person or as a maid for the ‘white folk’. This oppositional gaze focused mainly on the absence of positive African American role models in the film and television industry.  It encouraged African American women to critically observe by looking how African Americans were mocked and observed the lack of female African Americans as actors, in the film and television industry. It developed in a period of history when slaves were considered property and not human beings.  It encouraged this viewpoint by white haters that African Americans are worthless.   According to The Oppositional Gaze by Bell Hooks it states, “All attempts to repress our/black people’s right to gaze had produced in us an overwhelming longing to look, a rebellious desire” (pg. 116).  Michel Foucault states, “Insists on describing domination in terms of relations of power as part of an effort to challenge the assumption that power is a system of domination which controls everything and leaves no room for freedom” (pg. 116).  When I watched various movies, as well as, television programs, I noticed that there were very few African American women in them.  In actuality, I noticed that there were hardly any different skin tones in my television and movie when I viewed it.  After reading Bell Hooks article, I realize that I was correct in my observation. The only part I could not understand was why?  I have started to see more African American men and women in different roles in the media industry.  I am thrilled that there are progressive African Americans who have entered or are entering the media world.  I think that it is a disgrace we learned that America stands for a ‘melting and blending pot’ for every American regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity or color of their skin.  We need truthful dialogues in schools, in religious institutions, communities, and adults must be the first people to educate their children about the injustices put upon African Americans, as well as, every person of color. It is going to be a monumental task to rid the injustices placed on African Americans and others.  I don’t think it can be changed overnight; hopefully, one day at a time.  I do not consider myself as a person who feel that African Americans are worthless and should be seen not heard.  I was never taught that way by my parents.  I have friendships that are based on their personality not by the color of their skin.  One day I hope to receive a diploma in Media Studies.  I will try to influence people in media about the injustices that the media has placed upon African Americans, as well as, others with different skin tones.  I hope that I will become a Producer, writer that creates documentaries about the injustices in America. I will focus on the inequalities for all African Americans and make sure that America is a country where freedom, and equality exists for everyone, not just for some.

 This image is significant since it shows an African American Woman as a maid or "mammie" for the Aunt Jemima pancake mix.

LINKS:

http://store.americanapparel.net/en/lingerie_cat33164

http://jezebel.com/5929326/every-day-ordinary-women-are-reduced-to-sexual-body-parts-by-men-and-by-women

http://jbeilke.iweb.bsu.edu/politicsofhate/images/oppositional_gaze/oppozitional-gaze.jpg

Works Cited: 

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London, 1973. Print.

Hooks, Bell . In Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992,        115-31. 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.