What is “Male Gaze”?
The “male gaze” is a concept introduced by film critic Laura Mulvey in 1975. It refers to the way in which visual arts, literature, cinema, and other media predominantly depict the world and women from a heterosexual male perspective. This perspective objectifies and sexualizes women, reducing them to objects of desire for the pleasure of male viewers.
What kind of male gaze do women suffer?
The impact of the male gaze on women can be multifaceted and detrimental. It can contribute to reinforcing gender stereotypes, perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards, and shaping societal expectations about women’s roles and behaviors. This can lead to several negative consequences, and here I will list 3 statements and their examples respectively:
- Impact on Mental Health: Repetitive exposure to objectifying images can cause mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Women strive to meet unrealistic beauty standards, resorting to extreme measures.
This is a news about a woman who vomit to lose weight. In the news, the 26-year-old girl disgusted with her own weight gain, long-term use of emetic tube emetic weight loss, electrolyte imbalance, hand numbness hand shaking, face enlargement, syncope and other conditions.
In fact, it can be very harmful to your health. First of all, emetics can easily damage teeth, esophagus, throat and other parts, and repeated use of emetics can also cause damage to esophageal mucosa and gastric mucosa. Second, emetic causes electrolyte disturbances in the body. If the emetic tube is inserted too deeply, it can easily lead to upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Aspiration can cause aspiration pneumonia. There are even people who suffer from anorexia due to vomiting.
2. Pressure to Conform: Media representations influenced by the male gaze often emphasize certain physical attributes and beauty ideals.
Since her creation, Wonder Woman has been an icon for many young girls. Her strength and heroism stood as an example of what a woman should be, at least, this is what many young girls thought.
Comparing Wonder Woman to male superheroes reveals distinct differences. Wonder Woman, like many superheroes, exhibits an unattainable physique. Her attire, with its short and low-cut design, accentuates this ideal, causing young girls to question their own appearance and raising the question: who was Wonder Woman created to appeal to?
3. Objectification: Women are often portrayed as objects to be looked at and desired rather than as individuals with agency, thoughts, and feelings.
Marilyn Monroe is a representative example. She’s an iconic Hollywood figure, epitomized the male gaze’s idealized feminine allure. Her transformation from Norma Jeane Mortenson reflected societal expectations, embodying femininity and objectification in the mid-20th-century entertainment industry, showcasing the profound influence of the male gaze on her enduring cultural image.
Reference:
- Sarah Rieken (2022), The Male Gaze and Its Effects on
https://www.thewomens.network/blog/the-male-gaze-and-its-effects-on-women - Ally Hickson (2016), THIS Is The Problem We Have With Female Superheroes
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/11/130254/sexist-female-superheroes-comic-book-characters-hypersexual - Living In The Female vs Male Gaze: The Audrey Hepburn & Marilyn Monroe Stylized Imagery Impact
https://youtu.be/xbakWIl8nKI?si=n2AVbJ0u_yNtsu60
Hi fangyu, your blog about women being subjected to the male gaze which creates a range of psychological pressures on their appearance resonated with me! I couldn’t agree more, and with the popularity of social media, it’s no longer just in films, but also in social media that women are often subjected to the male gaze, which creates an unrealistic pursuit of beauty. And these quests for beauty are not always positive, and many times cause a lot of stress and anxiety for women. We should all look at gender relations more equally and build an equal and inclusive society.
I enjoyed reading your post, I thought the examples you added were great and very interesting.
I particularly liked the example about Marilyn Monroe, do you believe she represented objectification? personally believe she challenged male ideas and used her confidence as a sense of empowerment rather than doing it for male attention.
Thank you for your comments. Yes, I think the image of Marilyn Monroe represents the objectification of women. It’s not about Marilyn Monroe herself inside, but about her appearance being “transformed” into an object of sexual characteristics favored by men of that era.
I like your cover very much. When I saw this cover, it reminded me of the word “gaze”. Many girls do things that hurt their bodies because of the evaluation of men. Girls will bring pressure and difficulties, and women are also making constant changes, like Wonder Woman in your blog. It seems that everyone will subconsciously think that girls wear sexy will be looked at, which often brings a lot of injustice to women, everyone is equal.
I think your content is good in that male gaze can lead to feelings of discomfort, invasion of privacy, or stress, depending on the specific situation and individual feelings. Overly intense or rude gazing can be upsetting or invasive, affecting an individual’s mental health and emotional state. Moderate respect and attention to others’ boundaries are key to maintaining good interpersonal relationships.
I love how you exemplified the negative consequences that can result when women are subjected to the male gaze. Among them, you mentioned in the blog that in daily life, female groups may be psychologically unhealthy and distorted due to excessive male gaze, to pursue deformed aesthetics. Some girls may choose to lose too much weight to get a more perfect body, which I can empathize with, because I have had this idea before, to lose weight by dieting too much. I believe this is an inevitable problem brought about by the social environment. But I will also be more aware of my own needs and aesthetics. Thank you for sharing！