The Male Gaze
- Laura Garf
- Nov 10, 2021
- 2 min read
As women, there is such limited representation that accurately depicts us as three-dimensional human beings. So much of the media depicts us as sexual objects of male affection. This act of depicting women in arts and literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents women as objects for the pleasure of the male viewer is called the “Male Gaze”. When women are depicted this way in the media, their feelings, thoughts and own sexual drives come off as insignificant; their only purpose is to serve their respective male’s fantasies.
Our society is structured by the patriarchy, in which men are considered the “active” do-ers, and women are considered the “passive” supporters of men. This societal ideal comes out a lot in literature and film. It is mostly men directing these films, and writing these books, and other men are usually the targeted audience. Therefore, when these men write female characters, they are ones that solely serve the goals of the male protagonist. All of these factors combine into a heterosexual male perspective of female characters. These characters must contribute to the story all while adhering to the male fantasy; always looking beautiful and sexy. In fact, the way that they look is a much more prominent part of their characters than anything else. This is an even larger issue for women of color. When they do get representation in the media, it can often be from a fetished male perspective that is extremely harmful. In reality, women’s looks have so little to do with what they can bring to the table, but this idea of the male gaze in the media further adds to the sexist ideal that women are two-dimensional and exist solely to benefit males.
Even in media that seems to have positive female representation, if you truly look at it deeper, it is apparent that it perpetuates the male gaze. In Aladdin (2019), for example, although Jasmine has her own goals, she is still objectified by every man in the story. To her father, she is an artifact to be locked away for safekeeping. To Jafar, she is an item to be gained for greater power and influence. And to Aladdin, she is a prize to be won. That is not to say that this movie cannot be consumed; this is a very iconic and enjoyable film. However, it is important, as with all media, that we are aware of what we are consuming and what messages it perpetuates. So as we are watching, it is essential that we recognize the male gaze and how it reaffirms the power of the Patriarchy to use women as props in service of the heterosexual male narrative.
Recognizing the male gaze is crucial while consuming media by men, but it is also just as important to consume media that is written and directed by females themselves. A lot of men only consume media from male perspectives, whereas women tend to consume media from all perspectives. Taking in female perspectives is essential in combating the patriarchal ideals that run rampant in our society. Along with this, it is also essential that more opportunities are given to female writers and directors to showcase complex female characters.
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