Have you ever heard of “the male gaze”? This is phrase is used to describe a situation where something is seen the the eyes of a man, in a way that either objectifies or devalues a woman or their actions. The male gaze is a newly popularized phrase that shows us a warped view on women. In 1973, a woman named Laura Mulvey coined this phrase and described it in a published magazine essay. In this essay Mulvey described the male gaze as a dehumanizing way that men see women. Additionally, this view has caused negative stereotypes towards women, including the assumption that men are smarter than women. (Vanbuskirk, 2021).
The male gaze is harmful because it causes women to be put in a specific stereotype whether it be a stereotype about a blonde, white woman being a dumb or a Latina being seen as fiery and hyper-sexual. Both of these stereotypes are extremely harmful to all women. This has caused both men and women to subconsiously make assumptions about women based off of gender, race, or even age.
To change this view on women we must start by being aware of this problem. Women must stand up against the stereotypes that men put them in. This problem starts with a simple dumb blonde joke and ends with a response of: “that is not funny”. It is time we all start standing up to the male gaze.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-male-gaze-5118422
This is a useful essay about how the male gaze can negatively affect women and girls, including body image and unhealthy standards of beauty (and impossible standards).
The article highlights how heterosexual the male gaze is, which is another important point. Thank you!
We need more than a call to action to only women to fight against these harmful stereotypes, but to men as well. It is not merely the woman’s job to change the world’s view of her. It is in the media in how the portray women onscreen and the fashion and cosmetics industries in how they market products. It’s on all of us.