The concept of ‘Male Gaze’ was proposed by art critic Laura Mulvey in the last century. At first, this concept was used to analyze the perspective of some movies, where producers used different methods to make female characters please male audiences in the movie, such as female characters wearing sexy clothes on the screen, intentionally having body portraits or even facial expressions on camera, with the aim of objectifying women. But I think this concept also applies to society.
Here are some concepts of male gaze that I have found:
1. The subject of male gaze is the male heterosexual, and women are objectified in this process.
2. The purpose of male gaze is to please heterosexual male audiences.
3. The objectification of women is the manifestation of women as sexual objects.
Why does male gaze cause so much harm to women? Because the biggest problem is that gaze is not an aesthetic silence. For example, when a man walks on the street and sees a woman with a good figure and appearance, he thinks of her as having a good figure and wants to sleep with her, which is sexually aggressive and invisibly violent. This can make the woman being stared at feel strongly uncomfortable. So women often suffer from male gaze, which sounds very unfair.
Over time, this gaze becomes a muscle memory. In life, from a male perspective, many men feel that women must be gentle and considerate. Why can’t women be fierce and brave?I believe that people’s standards for beauty are never uniform. On the contrary, men also have feminine beauty, which does not prevent them from being themselves.As the opposite sex, there are often times when we cannot empathize with certain things, but I hope everyone has their own moral bottom line to reduce the occurrence of such situations.
List of references:
Rather than aiming to please a heterosexual male audience, I would argue that the male gaze is a part of the wider social context used to uphold the patriarchal system and serves to consolidate it. I also agree with what you say about ethics, because the male gaze has nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with moral quality.
The male gaze is itself a kind of invisible power, because in the social system of the past and the present, it is still the male who holds the majority of power. Moral character may improve with the level of education, and we want to be brave enough to stand up and say no when staring happens, rather than let it happen. Your writing is very good!
The concept of the ‘male gaze’ provides a stimulating exploration of how media and social conventions contribute to the dehumanisation of women. The concept presented accurately encapsulates the core of Laura Mulvey’s theory, highlighting how the dominant heteronormative worldview often objectifies women as a source of male pleasure. Understanding the negative effects of this gaze gives us a profound sense of the shift from appreciating beauty to more insidious forms of aggression. Utilising moral principles as a basis for empathy and respect is commendable as it promotes a change in cultural norms. I think the blog delves into the lasting effects of the male gaze and promotes a more holistic and mindful approach to aesthetic norms and relationships. It’s a great blog!