Themalegaze PDF
Themalegaze PDF
Themalegaze PDF
Consequences
of
the
Male
Gaze
and
Sexual
Objectification
Written
by:
Gina
Miller
Rhetorical
Theories
and
Professional
Communication
The
male
gaze
is
a
term
that
is
commonly
used
among
feminists
arguing
the
role
of
a
female
for
the
sexual
objectification
of
a
male
spectator.
The
male
gaze
was
originally
brought
up
by
Laura
Mulvey
in
her
essay
Visual
Pleasure
and
Narrative
Cinema,
and
her
meaning
of
the
term
relates
to
the
woman
as
a
spectacle
in
film.
Other
feminists
have
used
to
the
term
to
describe
print
material
as
well
as
film
and
multi-media
as
being
a
product
of
the
male
gaze.
pleasure
and
as
an
object
for
use.
Sexual
objectification
is
comparable
with
the
male
gaze
because
both
theories
are
feminism
theories
and
have
affects
on
men
and
women
in
our
culture
today.
Feminist
see
sexual
objectification
as
being
a
major
part
in
the
patriarchal
order
in
which
women
are
not
equal
to
men.
Sexual
advertisement
has
also
been
a
producer
of
the
male
gaze
and
sexual
objectification,
which
in
turn
has
created
consequences
proving
feminism
theories
and
causing
psychological
problems
within
some
women
in
our
culture.
Laura
Mulveys
Visual
and
Narrative
Pleasure
doesnt
regard
homosexuals,
and
transgendered
people
in
her
theory
concerning
the
male
gaze,
but
her
feministic
views
have
opened
readers
eyes
on
the
truth
about
patriarchal
order
existing
in
our
culture.
Laura
Mulvey
begins
her
essay
with
looking
at
women
symbolically
as
the
bleeding
wound
of
castration,
and
unconsciously
raising
her
child
in
this
image,
therefore
continuing
the
patriarchy.
Mulvey
studies
Freudian
philosophy
on
phallocentrism1
as
she
compiles
her
findings
about
how
to
break
the
oppression
of
the
female
gender.
Freud
was
also
in
her
thoughts
when
determining
the
male
gaze.
In
her
essay
she
writes,
Freud
isolated
scopophilia
as
one
of
the
component
instincts
of
sexuality
which
exists
as
drives
quite
independently
of
the
erotogenic
zones.
At
this
point
he
associated
scopophilia
with
taking
other
people
as
objects,
subjecting
them
to
a
controlling
and
curious
gaze.2
Mulvey
constitutes
that
the
film
industry
has
adapted
a
narcissistic
way
of
portraying
women
as
objects
for
men.
In
a
way
the
film
industry
has
prayed
on
the
audiences
perversion
and
voyeuristic
fantasies.
The
male
gaze
according
to
Mulvey
can
be
seen
as
active
and
passive
roles
that
satisfy
the
spectator.
The
spectator
in
this
culture
is
a
man
according
to
the
patriarchal
order
we
live
in,
and
this
makes
the
spectacle
a
women.
Freuds
views
would
support
this
as
being
a
mirror
image
of
oneself,
a
more
egotistical
image,
which
will
be
portrayed
as
the
main
man
in
the
film
as
the
women
is
simply
an
erotic
passive
spectacle
who
has
no
bearing
on
the
importance
of
the
film.
She
is
simply
an
erotic
figure
used
as
an
object
to
fulfill
fantasies
for
the
spectator
made
by
the
spectator.
The
film
aesthetics
also
have
much
to
with
the
messages
portrayed,
and
how
the
male
gaze
can
be
subjected
to
the
audience.
The
mise
en
scene
is
important
in
allowing
the
spectator
to
put
himself
into
the
scene.
The
dimensional
aspect
of
the
scene
should
be
one
dimensional
in
the
fact
that
the
egotistical
spectator
can
fulfill
his
fantasy
with
the
object
of
affection
by
looking
at
it
as
a
still
image
with
no
distance
between
them.
Sexual
objectification
relates
to
the
male
gaze
in
the
fact
that
it
views
a
person
as
a
sexual
object
for
fetishistic
fantasies,
and
disregarding
the
persons
personality.
Sexual
Objectification
is
an
actual
complex,
and
not
all
males
look
upon
women
as
objects.
There
are
many
feminists
that
study
sexual
objectification
and
argue
for
ways
to
prevent
it,
which
in
turn
will
hopefully
help
the
patriarchal
order
to
subside,
and
give
women
the
respect
they
deserve.
Barbara
Fredrickson
and
Tomi-Ann
Roberts
wrote
an
essay,
Objectification
Theory:
Toward
Understanding
Womens
lived
Experiences
and
Mental
Health
Risks.
They
focus
on
the
consequences
behind
the
male
gaze
and
viewing
women
of
different
ethnicities
as
sexual
objects.
As
a
result
of
sexual
objectification,
women
have
a
self
image
that
they
are
constantly
monitoring,
which
causes
stress
and
actual
mental
disorders.
Sexual
objectification
and
gender
oppression
have
the
same
consequences
for
women
which
results
in
employment
discrimination
and
sexual
violence.
Frederickson
and
Roberts
agree
that
sexual
gazing
is
what
enables
sexual
objectification,
and
when
these
acts
occur
womens
body
parts
are
what
defines
her
as
a
person
rather
than
her
personality.
The
objectifying
gaze,
according
to
Fredrickson
and
Roberts,
is
noticeable
in
three
different
instances;
the
first
being
in
public
places
with
an
actual
social
encounter
and
in
most
cases
women
of
color
is
more
apt
to
get
a
sexual
comment
with
the
gaze
than
a
white
women.
The
second
scenario
would
be
objectification
in
the
media
that
portrays
a
likeness
of
a
real
encounter
in
which
a
male
is
gazing
at
a
female
while
the
female
doesnt
notice
the
attention,
and
her
attention
is
directed
at
something
else.
The
male
gaze
would
be
a
good
way
to
describe
the
third
objectification
instance
in
our
society.
Fredrickson
and
Roberts
describe
the
third
instance
in
terms
credited
to
Laura
Mulvey,
and
the
male
gaze.
They
see
this
visual
media
sexual
objectification
as
being
the
most
threatening
in
our
culture.
The
male
gaze
is
not
limited
considered
a
condition
that
affects
people
today.
Because
of
the
objective
portrayal
of
women
in
the
media
and
advertisement,
some
women
actually
start
viewing
themselves
as
objects
and
start
to
dissect
their
appearance
to
what
is
the
cultures
standard
of
being
attractive.
Some
studies
show
that
some
womens
life
experiences
can
be
based
upon
how
other
people
view
her
appearance.
Unger,
R.K.3
says
that
physical
attractiveness
can
emanate
power
for
women
in
the
work
place,
or
enhance
social
acceptance.
Women
that
seem
vain
and
narcissistic
can
very
well
be
conditioned
from
sexual
objectification
and
the
male
gaze.
If the audience views the material presented to them in a preferred subject position,
then
they
would
definitely
experience
the
effects
of
sexual
objectification
or
the
male
gaze.
Some
people
view
sexual
advertisement
in
the
oppositional
subject
position,
in
which
they
would
have
a
more
disgusted
view
and
they
would
not
be
affected
by
sexual
objectification
or
the
male
gaze,
in
fact
they
may
even
argue
against
the
messages
being
presented.
Not
all
men
are
natural
to
the
gaze
and
not
all
men
objectify
women.
Women
too
arent
all
affected
by
the
male
gaze
or
sexual
objectification.
The women that are affected by sexual objectification can actually experience
psychological problems throughout their lifetime, and according to Mulvey, raise their
children
to
support
the
patriarchal
order.
Certain
women
will
experience
shame,
anxiety,
peak
motivational
states,
and
awareness
of
internal
bodily
states.
Fredrickson,
Roberts
(1997)4
A
definition
of
shame
from
Darwin,
(1872)
is
a
negative
emotion
that
occurs
when
people
evaluate
themselves
relative
to
some
internalized
or
cultural
ideal
and
come
up
short.
Darwin
seemed
to
notice
the
gaze
as
being
an
answer
to
the
shame
feeling.
Our culture consists of images of young, beautiful, slim, Caucasian females in our
media,
advertisement,
and
television.
Studies
show
that
only
1
in
40,000
women
are
considered
model
material,
which
proves
that
its
false
advertisement
at
its
best
because
women
generally
are
not
shaped
that
way.
This
fake
ideal
way
to
look
has
caused
some
women
to
be
shameful
of
their
own
appearance,
which
then
provokes
feelings
of
worthlessness,
confusion,
and
depression.
Fredrickson
and
Roberts
question
the
morality
of
our
culture
in
which
women
feel
shame
due
to
sexual
objectification.
From little girl stage to womanhood, females seem to become somewhat self
conscious
in
themselves.
Self
conscious
thoughts
actually
stop
women
from
experiencing
peak
motivational
states
of
learning
which
can
disrupt
their
path
in
life
of
learning
and
gaining
confidence
to
follow
long
term
goals.
Females
view
their
bodies
as
objects
from
as
young
as
grade
school
age
when
little
boys
start
commenting
on
their
appearance.
This
can
turn
both
ways,
because
it
seems
natural
for
boys
and
girls
to
flirt
with
each
other,
but
little
boys
growing
hormones
seem
to
have
a
larger
impact
on
sexual
objectification
of
their
fellow
females
than
that
of
objectification
of
males.
Females
biologically
go
through
puberty
faster
and
develop
breasts
that
can
be
noticeable
to
young
men,
which
then
some
males
start
objectifying
females
at
a
very
young
age.
Many theorists have also suggested that women are less aware of their internal
bodily
states
than
men,
which
is
can
easily
be
described
as
a
problem
caused
from
self
views
of
objectification.
Women
are
less
likely
to
feel
what
their
body
is
telling
them
through
physiological
sensations,
for
example;
heartbeat,
stomach
contractions,
and
glucose
level.
This
problem
could
be
caused
by
either
long
term
dieting
and
ignoring
hunger
cues,
or
self
consciousness
of
the
body
due
to
body
monitoring.
Either
way
both
of
these
answers
can
be
rooted
to
objectification.
Fredrickson and Roberts studied many different consequences of the male gaze
and
sexual
objectification.
They
have
also
come
up
with
major
mental
illnesses
thought
to
be
caused
from
sexual
objectification
such
as;
depression,
which
was
mentioned
earlier,
sexual
dysfunctions,
regarding
female
orgasms
or
lack
thereof.
Women
generally
do
not
have
orgasms
as
easily
as
men,
and
this
could
be
a
result
of
many
factors
mentioned
above
like
ignoring
physiological
cues,
and
also
women
being
self
conscious
about
their
bodies
due
to
sexual
objectification.
One
other
example
of
an
actual
disorder
would
be
eating
disorders.
Some
women
starve
themselves
to
lose
enough
weight
to
feel
comfortable
in
our
culture.
They
call
it
a
phenomenon
in
our
culture
that
women
actually
want
to
starve,
but
many
people
see
it
as
a
repercussion
of
sexual
objectification.
The male gaze, sexual objectification, and even self objectification can be seen in
many
different
types
of
advertisement.
One
for
example
is
the
PETA
commercial
titled
Veggie
Love.
The
commercial
was
banned
from
the
super
bowl
in
2009
because
it
was
very
perverted
in
the
message
they
portrayed
and
the
actresses
werent
dressed
appropriately
for
public
television.
I
presented
the
commercial
to
my
peers
in
class,
and
they
actually
disproved
sexual
objectification
because
they
acted
in
an
oppositional
position
and
actually
rejected
the
ideological
message
that
was
presented,
but
some
females
are
subjected
to
feelings
of
sexual
objectification,
and
if
it
is
causing
some
harm
on
females,
then
it
truly
needs
to
be
noticed
and
disregarded
from
media
and
advertisement,
The male gaze is definitely present in the PETA commercial because it is made for
a
man
as
the
spectator,
viewing
the
images
presented
to
them
in
objectionable
form
in
which
they
can
imagine
themselves
using
the
women
as
objects
of
sexual
desire.
The
camera
source
in
Veggie
Love
is
actually
set
up
to
have
a
feel
of
being
a
man
spectating
over
the
women
as
they
have
their
way
with
vegetables.
The PETA commercial is considered an extreme example of the male gaze and
sexual
objectification,
but
it
is
a
good
example
because
it
shows
that
a
lot
of
advertisement
and
media
we
watch
today
have
mixed
messages
portraying
sexual
objectification
and
the
male
gaze,
and
both
of
these
feminist
theories
are
proven
to
harm
women
throughout
their
lifetime.
Women
have
lived
with
the
patriarchal
order,
in
my
opinion,
since
the
beginning
of
Christianity,
or
even
further
in
history.
Women
have
been
struggling
in
our
culture
to
be
looked
upon
as
being
equal
with
men
in
the
workforce,
in
public,
and
even
at
home.
Respect
is
all
women
want.
Some
women
dont
even
know
they
are
a
product
of
the
male
gaze
or
sexually
objectified,
so
there
should
be
more
education
on
this
subject
matter
to
teach
women
what
other
theorists
have
found
over
the
years,
so
everyone
is
aware
of
these
tactics
being
presented
to
us.
Notes
1
Privelaging
the
masculine.
Mulvey
talks
about
phallocentric
ways
still
existing
today
and
oppressing
females.
Mulvey,
Laura.
Visual
Pleasure
and
Narrative
Cinema1999
3
Unger,
R.K.
(1979).
Female
and
Male.
New
York;
Harper
and
Row
4
Fredrickson
and
Roberts
purpose
a
series
of
mental
illnesses
that
can
inhabit
women
that
are
subjected
to
sexual
objectification.
Their
references
for
this
information
is
due
to
Deaux
&
Major,
(1987)
full
source
available
in
the
bibliography.
5
Definition
Source;
http://www.
google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1R2ADRA
enUS405&defl=en&q=define:anxiety&s
=X&ei=fx8BTdi8NpKcsQPThfSvCw&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQkAE
2
Bibliography
Mulvey, Laura. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Film Theory and Criticism :Introductory
Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-44.
Fredrickson, Barbara and Roberts, Tomi-Ann, Objectification Thoery: Toward Understanding Womens
Lived Experiences and Mental Health Risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21 (1997), 173-206,
Printed in the USA
Unger,
R.K.
(1979).
Female
and
Male.
New
York;
Harper
and
Row
Deaux,
K
&
Major,
B.
(1987).
Putting
gender
inro
context:
An
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model
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