Post 2- Ways of Seeing/Viewing - Antonio Mihail

Male Gaze and Oppositional Gaze - Ways of Seeing/Viewing

The term “male gaze” pertains to the display of events through a male’s viewpoint. It has been used by different types of media, such as art and television, to embrace the male’s perspective. To understand why the male gaze has been dominant in various forms of media, it is important to look at where societal power has been concentrated in over the years. Western societies have been patriarchal since antiquity and, thus, men have been the dominant group within our society. Media outlets attempt to reach out to those in power, and since women have not been as powerful as men they have not been part of the audience, and especially women of color. Writers such as Laura Mulvey, John Berger, and Bell Hooks delve into the concept of “male gaze,” and explain why it is a pervasive form of vision in popular culture. Bell Hooks also mentions and describes another concept, the  “oppositional gaze.”

Men have historically been the dominant group within society and, thus, have controlled media. Even though both men and women have worked throughout history, men were usually the ones in control of the purse of their households. They had the money, so they had the power. Since western societies have been driven by capitalism, media outlets have tried to increase their revenue by reaching out to the dominant audience. Men have been the main audience because they have been the consumers. Since men were the ones who bought movie tickets, film producers incorporated scenes that objectified women to please their male audience. In our times, little has changed, even though women have become consumers as well. Mulvey states that the woman’s “eroticism [is] subjected to the male star alone.” (Mulvey, 840). Films and advertisements still try to increase revenue by exploiting the female body and by catering to men’s needs. In various movie scenes, the female body is presented from the viewpoint of the male counterpart in a seductive manner. A common example of this occurrence is when the camera moves from the bottom up in slow motion to capture the body of an attractive actress. This camera technique resembles common male act of checking out an attractive woman on the street in daily life. Such scenes demonstrate the male gaze, and they are included so the male viewers can relate to the male actor (and possibly to distract them from what may be a terrible movie plot). These actresses’ roles are to look pretty and sexy so the men in the audience can be entertained. This scene is far too common and can be found in many films out there, with slight modifications. This illustrates that the male gaze is a pervasive form of vision in popular culture.

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Another controversial aspect of the male gaze is the man’s right to act like a judge, while the woman is being subjected to judgement based on her looks. Female actresses are constantly judged by their looks instead of the qualities of their character. The best looking actresses are praised, while the less attractive ones are ignored or even shamed by the male audience. Thus, the qualifications of a good and successful actress are being limited to just physical appearance. “Paris awards the apple to the woman he finds most beautiful. Thus beauty becomes competitive” (Berger page 52). The problem with judging women by their appearance is that we are limiting their powers. The male’s right to judge relegates the woman into a secondary role in which she has little to no power, other than her ability to turn on a man. This submissiveness also constitutes a competition on looks between women to get the attention of men who judge them on their beauty. This constant beauty competition between women creates feelings of insecurity, especially among young women. Media representations of beauty are very high and unrealistic in modern times, due to make up and technology. Such unachievable beauty standards result into insecurities, and especially young women. To further add to the problem, advertisers recognize and exploit these insecurities among young women to increase profits from their beauty products.

Since men have been the dominant group in society and have held the majority of corporate positions in media outlets, they have influenced consumer perceptions and have defined the female gender through mass media. Bell Hook’s “oppositional gaze” is related to this concept, but it connects gender to race and the representation of African Americans by popular media. It is no secret that there is a lack in representation of the African American culture in media today. When African Americans are given media attention it is usually for negative things. African Americans are represented as loud, explosive, drug dealers who do not respect authority. We constantly see on the news African American teenage boys who do not obey police officers, and who are then subjected to excessive force. The common public reaction to such occurrences is: “he should have just listened to the cop.” However, there is a problem with that mindset. We can all understand that there are consequences to our actions. We can all accept that if you refuse to follow police orders you will be arrested. But what about the excessive violence used by the police? Why can all of us not accept that there should be consequences for the policeman’s use of excessive force? An even more important question, however, is: why are African Americans presented by media for only negative occurrences?

African Americans are underrepresented in all sorts of media, and especially in films. Bell Hooks states, "When black people in the United States first had the opportunity to look at film, they did so fully aware that mass media was a system of knowledge and power reproducing and maintaining white supremacy" (Hooks, 117). The majority of main characters in films are white, while African American actors are given supporting or minor roles. In horror movies, African American characters usually the first ones to die. Coincidentally, the pretty white girl is protected by everyone and usually survives at the end. In response to this portrayal, the oppositional gaze was created as a means of attaining change by countering the negative portrayals of African Americans. For African Americans, being able to look became a form of insurgency against the people responsible for their oppression. African Americans became mindful of the power television possessed, and its ability to create stereotypes and influence public opinion. They realized that mass media, and specifically television, has harmed their image. For that reason, African Americans are becoming more and more involved in media, writing and creating content that attempts to reshape their portrayal in a more positive and accurate way. In 2017, there are more TV series and films whose goal is to correctly represent African American culture in a positive manner.

Works Cited

Bell Hooks. In Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992: 115-131.

Berger, John. Chapters 2,3. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1972.

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. NY: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-844.