Can't Help But To Look

The male gaze: the object a female becomes as she is viewed from a spectators standpoint; spectator usually taking on the form of a man.

According to Laura Mulvey author of “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, there are two forms of the male gaze, the voyeuristic gaze or fetishistic. Mulvey uses old style Hollywood movies and actresses to prove her point. She outlines, “conventional close-ups of legs (Dietrich for instance) or a face (Garbo) integrate into the narrative a different mode of eroticism. One part of a fragmented body destroys the Renaissance space” (838). Mulvey states Hollywood’s use of these female images to appeal to the appetites of men perpetuates the idea that women are objects to be had. “Determining male gaze projects it phantasy on to the female figure which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact” (837). Mulvey suggests using a more “female friendly” representation in films. Her voice however has been lost to Hollywood. Fast Forward to today’s culture and the use of the female form in films has been expounded upon. Women have been reminded time and time again of their role in society in relation to men as being one of the lesser gender.

In direct contrast to the male gaze, there is the oppositional gaze. Bell Hooks views and ideas have some of the same undertones as Mulvey, yet Hooks is forthcoming in her efforts to encourage females, black female spectators to be exact, to not accept the stereotypical views of themselves that Hollywood spews out or the lack of imagery thereof. Black males historically were not allowed to stare. As a result, the right to gaze “had produced in us an overwhelming longing to look, a rebellious desire, an oppositional gaze” (116). She goes on to note “not only will I stare. I want my look to change reality” (116). As a result of this repression of the gaze, black men, were able to go to movies and in the dark were able to enjoy this staring that was not permitted to them. On screen black women historically were not viewed as desirable as white women. Since then however, film makers like Spike Lee has mimicked “the cinematic construction of white womanhood as object, replacing her body as text on which to write male desire with the black female body. This can be seen in his film She's Gotta Have It.

In today’s society, the constant barrage of the quintessential “vixen” image have made women themselves want to change their looks to be more appealing or to be the subject of the male gaze. The bombardment of these images in media today have pushed women to pump their own lips, chest and buttocks full of plastic (or silicone), inject paralytic liquid into their face, pull their skin back to the far reaches their foreheads, suck fat out of their abdomens and thighs, stick pieces of hair onto their eyelids to enhance eyelashes, rip the color out their hair to be blonds, stick pieces of hair based with glue onto their scalps and pull hair out their bodies with hot wax all to become this object of desirability that is perpetuated by the media. Looking at today’s pop culture music, the exploitation of women in videos have long been a constant thorn in the sides of many women. The "big booty", big breast, long haired woman that is desired by many a black male artist is beaten into the minds of young girls constantly. This idea of being comfortable in your own skin has long been lost to many. I myself have been a victim to many of the tortuous actions undertaken by women to seem desirable and yes, at 112lbs, have even considered going under the knife to enhance my cleavage. The only thing that stopped me in the past has been the lack of money. Today, after gaining much perspective, I can seriously say, I am afraid for the girls who are growing up under this sexist dictatorship.