The ‘male gaze’ is a term coined by feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey to describe how visual media portrays women from a heterosexual male perspective. This representation tends to emphasise women’s physical attractiveness and objectify them as desirable objects, contributing to the objectification of women and gender inequality in media representations. It is not uncommon in life and can even happen in almost any situation. In the following section of this blog, relevant examples will be used to detail the description of the physical and sports aspects.
Firstly, the gym for exercise, which people go to to feel healthy and active. The male gaze, however, has a relatively high occurrence frequency there. Even though there is not always a substantive act taking place, such as an on-hand touch, is just looking at it or sexual fantasising in mind, not a male gaze that can psychologically stress a woman out? The answer is NO. According to a recent study, 65% of women avoid going to the gym due to the fear of being judged or harassed by men. Additionally, 72% of active female gym members reported changing their gym outfits after experiencing sexual harassment from male gym-goers. These findings highlight the negative impact that inappropriate comments or unwanted attention from men can have on women. Fortunately, the world is progressing, and women are gradually taking more rights to improve their situation, with the trend of women’s gyms and thirty-seven-day monthly memberships helping to remove the male gaze in the world.
Physical fitness is another aspect in which men are usually better than women in people’s minds. While it is undeniable that women have limitations due to their biological build, it is not a reason for them to be looked down upon and restricted in their opportunities to work in the relevant fields. Some jobs, such as police and soldiers, are consciously perceived to be more suitable for men. At the beginning of this year, a captivating variety show that showcased a unique story was filmed. The show invited four exceptional women from six professions that were traditionally considered more suitable for men: police officers, firefighters, bodyguards, soldiers, athletes and stuntwomen. These women carried the honour of their careers, and they were then pitted against each other in physical battles and showed the world the power of women with facts. It gives people an idea of what women in those professions can be capable of.
Overall, male coagulation is a problem that has existed for many years and needs to be solved gradually, but initial improvements have already been made thanks to the world’s progress.
Reference
Clark, A. (2017). Exploring Women’s Embodied Experiences of ‘The Gaze’ in a Mix-Gendered UK Gym. Societies, 8 (1), 2. Available from https://doi.org/10.3390/soc8010002.
Dai, E. and O’Donnell, S. (2020). Let’s Desexualize Gym Culture. Washington Square News. Available from https://nyunews.com/opinion/2020/02/11/gym-sexual-harassment.
Haelyon, H. and Levy, M. (2012). Mirror, mirror on the wall: the woman, the gaze and the fitness room. Sport in Society, 15 (9), 1196–1208. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.592526 [Accessed 10 December 2020].
Ross, S. (2023). Where is Siren: Survive the Island filmed? Filming locations of Netflix South Korean game show, can you visit? Available from https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/where-siren-survive-the-island-filmed-netflix-visit-4162349.
Hi! Your blog is very interesting as when i think of the male gaze i don’t usually think of it and sports. Personally i have learned a lot from your blog and understand the way women feel and are treated not just in films and on TV but in day to day activities such as sports, the fact that you added in statistics makes me trust your information more as you have evidence to back your opinion. You mentioned that there has been initial improvements with male coagulation, however do you think the male gaze will no longer exist? if the world continues doing what its doing today?.
your blog about women being subjected to the male gaze which creates a range of psychological pressures on their appearance resonated with me!
Hello Yunqing! Yours is a very well-written article! Starting from the chosen theme, it certainly fits with the male gaze and is also well balanced regarding the curiosity it must bring out to the reader and the understanding of the starting theme. Your example allows us to understand how widespread and radicalised the issue is.
The world of sport is certainly not the first example you think of when talking about the male gaze, but it is instead over-sexualised. Anyone who has ever watched sports knows this.
In the world of tennis, for example, tennis player Serena Williams has often been targeted for her “unfeminine” physicality and often categorised as the “angry black woman”. These adjectives reflect the West’s vision of femininity in sport.
As I have already stated, it is clear that the male gaze is a radicalised problem in our society and, therefore, makes it challenging to eradicate. Yours is an example that allows us to understand this difficulty.
In addition to being an excellent example, yours is a very well-written article, well-balanced between written and visual information and full of excellent examples. Well done!
I absolutely love this post and how you connected the male gaze and sports. As a former athlete myself I was able to do the things you said about women, not wanting to go to the gym. This happens in the gym and also not wanting to participate in certain sporting activities. By using statistics you made it clear to the amount of women who are affected by this. Great job!