The Gaze

In today’s society, people are surrounded by media.  Media such as television, posters, and billboards are used to portray information to people.  The two main structures of representation that can be seen in the media are the male gaze and the oppositional gaze.  These two structures of representation have a strong impact in today’s society.  The understanding of these two structures has also impacted my view of various media and my identity and role in these structures.

          

  According to Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” the male gaze is a structure that portrays the male point of view.  Therefore, what is portrayed as desirable or not is determined by the male spectator.  The male gaze can be clearly seen in the television and movie industry.  For example, female characters are typically dressed in high heels and tight form fitting clothes, which is a fashion that male spectators define as desirable.  The male gaze can also be seen in the music industry.  Female singers typically sing and dress in a style that appeals to the male interest.  Why is this form of vision pervasive in popular culture?  In most cultures, men are seen to hold the most power because the majority of the positions of authority are held by men.  Therefore, the male gaze is the perspective most expressed because it is the point of view of most authorities.  The male gaze also appeals to the female audience at times of appreciation, affection, and love for the female counterpart.

           

 Despite the pervasiveness of the male gaze, the oppositional gaze is also a formidable structure of representation in today’s media. According to Hooks’ “The Oppositional Gaze,” the oppositional gaze is a structure that portrays the longing or rebellious desire to see what the mainstream media neglects or forbids to show.  For example, when the mainstream media engaged in white supremacy, the oppositional black gaze responded by developing independent black cinema in order to depict the black representation that the mainstream media neglected to show.  Why has this oppositional gaze developed? According to Hooks’ “The Oppositional Gaze,” the act of manipulating or repressing one’s gaze is a strategy of oppression.  Therefore, in an effort to reestablish one’s own power and freedom, the oppositional gaze is developed.  With an alternative perspective available, people can exercise their power to choose.  Thus, regaining the freedom to choose and guide their own perspective.

            The understanding of the oppositional gaze along with the male gaze, has impacted my view of various media and my own identity and role in these structures.  Upon observing television, movies, and music, I am aware that nearly all media representation falls in the category of these two structures.  The male gaze can be seen in television programs such as America’s Next Top Model.  The models would dress and act in a way that is deemed most desirable by the male perspective.  The oppositional gaze can be seen in music celebrities such as Lady Gaga.  Lady Gaga would sing and dress in a fashion that is unconventional and against the typical mainstream fashion.  Not only do various media fall in the category of these two structures but my identity as well.  In my early teens, I recall a desire to be approved by the male gaze.  However, as I shrived to become approved by the male perspective, I became less comfortable with the way I perceived myself.  Out of this experience born a strong desire in me to care only about how I perceive myself and disregard other’s opinion of me.  Therefore, I can now be categorized in the oppositional gaze. 

           

 

 The male gaze and oppositional gaze are the two main structures of representation in today’s society.  These two structures can be seen in various media such as television, movies, and music.  It has also impacted my views and my identity and role in these structures.  With the male gaze being prevalent, I have adopted the definition of beauty deemed by the male perspective when I was in my early teens. It is surprising to notice that these two structures of representation play such a big part in today’s society.  With the oppositional gaze gaining more popularity, perhaps one day the male gaze would become less pervasive in today’s mainstream media.

Works Cited

Hooks, Bell.  “The Oppositional Gaze.” Black Looks: Race and Representation.  Boston: South End Press, 1992: 115-31.

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. NY: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-844.