The Oppositonal and Male Gaze

The oppositional gaze represents the intrinsic power held by the dispossessed as they actively challenge the way power relations are traditionally defined.  At the core of this is the fear of the ‘Other’. In a world of what Bell Hooks terms the “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy”, the one archetype that all others are compared to is successful, suave, confident, powerful white male. Not only does this person have agency, but also the respect and authority that come from being recognized as a powerful and intelligent figure. The other is his antithesis, his negative. It is what he isn’t. If one’s role is defined by the ‘other’, what would one be if the conceptual ‘other’ were to change or disappear entirely?

Hence, when minorities such as African Americans and women attempt to subvert the established institutions of patriarchy, they often are seen as a threat to stability and normalcy. When someone is attempting to assert power, a confrontational stare or a steady calm gaze can mean a challenge while avoiding eye contact can be a sign of weakness or fear.

In The Oppositional Gaze, Bell Hooks said ”The ability to manipulate one’s gaze in the face of structures of domination that would contain it, opens up the possibility of agency” (Hooks, 116).  In this regard, the male gaze can often be seen in women’s ads, not only because it is a sign of our patriarchal world, but also because it encourages women to see themselves in relationship to ‘the gaze’. In Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey said, “In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact…Women displayed as sexual object is the leit-motiff of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to strip-tease, from Zeigfield to Busby Berkely, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire” (Mulvey, 837).

Consequently, the gaze does not specifically belong to the realm of man, but it is usually employed as such because traditionally, society (patriarchs) values beautiful women. In the consumer-driven culture of America, it is often easier to appeal to a woman’s vanity and her insecurities in order to sell products which enhance beauty (or are perceived to).  The perpetuation of the “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy” depends on people continuing to see the message behind these ads as more important (being beautiful and admired and playing into that trope) than the ad itself (which is trying to sell a product).

Ways of Seeing/ Viewing( Male Gaze & Oppositonal Gaze)

The “gaze” can be best described as the power or control that a certain individual or group believes they hold over other individuals or groups. In regards to the “male gaze”, it is defined as the way men objectify women and the way in which men believe they hold control or power over women. This can be noted through different forms of media, such as ads, in which  women are posed or presented, by men behind the lens, in a way that makes them appear as a desirable object in order to sell or attract consumers, and to basically appeal to the male population. For example, many a times women are often displayed in a sexually suggestive manner that almost has nothing in common with the product being advertised such as perfumes or colognes . In many films, female characters are mostly on screen just for the male audience’s  pleasure. In Laura Mulvey’s article, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, she states how women in film are “displayed” and looked at  as  sexual objects and as signifiers of the male desire(837).

Note: Where’s the cologne?

The “male gaze” has become a consequence of the ever present patriarchy that has become prevalent in popular culture. The system of patriarchy allows for the the white male to have power and authority over women and individuals. This authority over women is at times seen in ads in which the female appears subservient to man, at times she is under him or is posed in a way that makes her seem weak and vulnerable in contrast to the rigid and domineering male.

Due to this male gaze, women are often watching themselves and how they act in public. As John Berger states” from earliest childhood, she has been taught and persuaded to survey herself continually”(46). Women are constantly surveying themselves and everything they do in order to not only appease others but also men because, as Berger stated, this is of “crucial importance” and is thought of a success in her life(46).

Another form of power struggle between individuals is the “oppositional gaze”, which can be described as the way in which individuals are targeted not just on the bases of gender but also race. Bell Hooks notes the oppositional gaze as form of resistance for black individuals(116) in a society where they are misrepresented. In the aspects of media, there is a lack of representation of black women and even if they are represented it is usually based on stereotypes that in no way represent this group. As Bell  Hooks notes, black women are often portrayed as undesirable or with traits that can be considered as negative. The main details noticed in film or other forms of media is the black women were below what was considered attractive or what was desirable to look at, which was the white woman.(118).

In regards to these different systems of power, they have vastly allowed me to view things that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. Learning of these systems has allowed me to see how the male gaze and patriarchy are so deeply engraved in the media and how I’ve come to see it as normal. The readings have allowed me to see how much women are objectified and how the gaze affects not only a certain gender but also a race. In ads and magazines women are displayed as sexual object instead of beings while men are posed in  a way that makes them seem confident and in control of their environment.

The Male Gaze/ Oppositional Gaze. – Danielle Pate

The male gaze is power.  It is a phrase describing power, power over whatever might be in its focus.  It is an invasive, judgmental, controlling, dominating force.  Both eyes eat through the soul, and feast on the insecurities of whomever they choose as their prey.  Be it a subway ride to school, or a walk through Central Park, or sitting behind your desk at work.  The male gaze holds you hostage to everything you hate about yourself, and exposes you until your mind and body are both left naked and robs, all that categorized, you as a human being.

This “gaze” is an immensely pervasive form of vision in popular culture.  I find that, as a 24-year-old woman living in Queens, as an outsider looking in: people want power.  People want to feel in control.  There is an emotionless zombie father figure choking the necks of boys and men in this world.  And they scream into their faces “be a man” “man up” “men are powerful” and these boys, in fear of choking, accept and agree to these terms.  They are dying to be the power, so they take the reigns and, lucky for them, the media makes it quite simple.

The media, especially advertising, sells you a woman’s lipstick along with her soul.  They bare women’s bodies until they are nothing but morsels of body parts.  This settles into the minds of everyone looking, that one can ogle a person and see only a sex object. Thus, to feel like an object voids you of all the power you had when you were once a human.  This message is also conveyed in film and even art.  As discussed in class, women were painted hundreds of years ago, naked, representing Eve, feeling themselves being looked at, to shame them for what feels like eternity.

The oppositional gaze reflects not just a male gaze upon a woman, but also a gaze that targets race and gender.  For example, during the time of slavery, slaves were scorn if they made eye contact, causing them to feel inferior and ashamed to their “white superior”.  The oppositional gaze is a sense of rebellion to these feelings of inferiority.

All the passages I’ve read were extremely eye opening for me.  I have finally come to understand these structures, as I’ve related and have noticed them in my personal life.  I can see things with a different perspective.  For example, I question why I put on makeup every morning, and ponder if it’s because of an advertisement I’ve seen, or from a popular celebrity or did I read about it in a magazine article?  All of my friends are very conscious of the way they look, as am I, and I can see the vast yet painful effect media has had on us.  But, with this perspective I see a great positive, I will not be a victim or an attacker of the ‘gaze,’ I do not judge anyone and I see the beauty in everything, this is something I have always done and will continue to do.  I’m finally coming into acceptance with myself and my beliefs, and I will wear and look however I feel regardless of who is looking,  I choose to rebel.  I refuse to let the gaze control my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQucWXWXp3k

http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/are-you-being-stared-at-/1099909/

Ways of Seeing (Jacqueline Amjadi)

The concept of the male gaze was widely introduced to us through Laura Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. She revealed the attention given to the female subject rose greatly as the American film industry advanced. With a male controlled camera, the looking is done by the male and placed upon the female. Both the actor as well as the audience sees the female as an object to unleash its fantasies upon.

The male gaze is so widespread in today’s culture because it is applicable to all forms of media. In fact, although the theory was introduced in the mid 1970s, the male gaze can be seen throughout art history, dating back to Titian’s 16^th century Venus of Urbino. This classic painting demonstrates the delicacy with which the female subject was treated – seen in the rich and idealized illustrating of her nude body, as well as her inviting smile and addressing of the viewer.

The male gaze has made its way across paintings, films and even advertisements. This last way is especially successful due to all of the products geared toward female consumers. It is made clear that in order to get the attention of the male, in order to be looked at and desired, one must resemble the female in the ad – therefore purchasing more and more to compensate for what she feels is lacking.

In order for the gaze to be male, it is not female – women are the focus of a constant power struggle. As Berger states in Ways of Seeing, a man’s presence is shown by what he is capable of doing to or for you, whereas a woman’s presence is shown by her attitude towards herself. Insecurities and anxieties easily form, as women are meant to watch themselves and adjust accordingly to the context of a man.

The oppositional gaze, as described by Bell Hooks, is a response to the gendered and racially charged male gaze. The male gaze singles out anyone that is not a white man – attaching him or her to a sense of otherness. The oppositional gaze has developed in order for those others to gain agency – African Americans in particular, as they were singled out and punished for looking during the time of slavery. While the gaze is connected to white supremacy and patriarchy, the oppositional gaze is connected to rebellion and documentation of wrongdoings.

Upon just a simple observation, it is clear that the male gaze is as strong as ever. No matter film, television or advertisement, women are still at the center of looking – as evidenced by the prominence of Botox, spray tans and low carb diets. I find it very difficult to be a media consumer in today’s society. While I can’t help but want to purchase certain products, or read certain magazines because they are visually appealing – I certainly try to do it for my satisfaction first and foremost.

 

Bell Hooks, in Black Looks: Race and Representation.

(Boston: South End Press, 1992), 115-31

 

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing.

(London: Penguin, 1972), 36-64

 

Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings.

(New York: Oxford UP, 1999), 833-44

 

 

 

Link to Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamjadi

Ways Of Seeing/The Male Gaze

The “male gaze” is the concept in which the white man–as the highest being on the social totem pole—looks at the woman and the woman being the object to be looked at, becomes the ideal of whatever the man wants her to be. This idea of the “male gaze” is most prominent in pop culture.

The invention of softwares such as Photoshop makes it that much easier for men to push for a specific image of the woman. The age of Kate Moss for example—that bonny, strung-out-on-drugs look—ran ramped in the 90s. “Heroin Chic” it was called, and within and without the fashion industry, this look was appealing to young women. The pushing of the idea that skinny women are more attractive than curvier women is an idea that we are still fighting this very day.

In ‘Ways of Seeing’ Berger uses the example of Adam and Eve realizing that they were naked after eating from the tree of knowledge. This example, among others, has been used for so long as a ploy to keep women subservient to men; it’s been used to make sure that women remain the object to be looked at and men to be the maker of that object.

Every once in a while, moments happen that remind me that we have a long way to go in our society. In a recent conversation with a friend of mine, I posed the question, “If you and your future wife are both working 9-5 shifts, and you get home at the same time, who is the one responsible for making dinner?”

“She is,” he nonchalantly replied.

“But why?” I pressed on, because in my mind, both parties would be coming home from a hard day at work, I saw no reason for the said wife to be the one who has to spend an additional hour or so on the stove.

“She’s the woman.” He simply replied. I then realized that no matter how far we think we have come, we still have a long way to go. The discussion turned into a two hour long debate, in which he pulled out the Bible and pointed out a famous verse which states wives are to be subservient to their husbands (Colossians 3:18).

While I am a devout Christian I feel as though this verse and many like it, have been used it to justify the exploitation of women. The nude painting, “Susannah & The Elders,” mentioned by Berger, is yet another biblical story which asserts that wrong or right, the male is to be the looker and the woman is to be looked at (Berger, pg.50).

WHO I AM.

Who am I? I feel as If this is a question that no one will ever be able to answer 100% accurately due to the fact that as the days pass, we as human beings continue to learn something new about ourselves everyday. As of now, I believe that I am young adult trying to find my niche. I am somewhat interested in zodiac signs and often relate my actions to my sign, and being that I am a Virgo I am undoubtedly very observant, opinionated, helpful, loving, and hardworking. I constantly browse the web all day, searching for new information on a variety of topics. A typical day for me consists of school, work music, and browsing the web. Last year during Lent I decided to take a break from all of my social networking pages, and surprisingly after the first two days it didn’t feel as if the task was as difficult as I thought it would be. This showed me that media can brainwash a person (me in particular) into thinking that without it their life would seem much more dull than it really is. As a young adult growing up in a time where media is taking over everything, I feel as if I play a huge role in media consumption.

Media is definitely an influential part of my life, as it is to many other individuals due to the fact that information is so easily transferred from person to person with the click of a button. In many ways, I believe that media can also be seen as the downfall for many personal relationships, due to the fact that everyone now depends on media to get their message across instead of the old fashion way of picking up the telephone, writing a letter, or simply speaking in person. These days, if a person wants to get a message to someone else, they log onto their social media account and send the message so that the whole world is able to view it, in addition the person that the message was meant for. I feel as if that particular action has bridged an even wider gap between society and social classes.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/734763914/social-media-ruined-my-life-a-short-film-from-adam

“Male Gaze” and “The Oppositional Gaze”

Male gaze is a term that is used when describing visuals such as film, movies, television etc. The perspective that these visuals are seen is in solely from a male’s point of view, and any woman displayed in the visuals are usually objectified. The male’s gaze in the visuals illustrates the fact that the men have strong feelings of entitlement and higher ranking than the woman. In “Ways of Seeing” John Berger states that “men act and women appear” (47). This illustrates the fact that women are not playing an important role in communication that takes place between a male and female, they are more so just existing as human beings while the male controls everything. Berger also states that women “have to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life” (Berger 46). This quote made me think of the many times growing up where I have witnessed older women tell their daughters to look a certain way and wear certain things in order to attract a man and to also make sure that she does it accurately enough in order for the man to consider marrying her. This illustrates that fact that people believe that a man proposing to a woman means that the woman has accomplished something in life, not due to the fact that the woman has accomplished something that is self reflective, but due to the fact that she has a man to showcase.  

 Laura Mulvey also addresses the relationship between men and women in the media in “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” she discusses the male gaze by stating “pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female” (837). An example of this Is an old Gucci ad where a woman is shown, without her face, wearing a tight black dress and a male is sitting on the bed gazing at the woman while buttoning his pants. The ad clearly is illustrating that the male and female just finished engaging in a sexual act, and the gaze that the male is giving the female as she stands with her back towards him is very intense. The looks reminds me of when I’m walking home at night and I have to walk past a crowd of guys and they began to whistle and howl at me, I immediately speed up and try to walk as fast as I can in order to get away from the men. At the same time, I am very careful of the attitude that I give off due to the fact that I can easily by taken advantage of by the guys if they sense that I am rudely rejecting them. I have to come to understand this structure as a way of life, although it is something that I wish was very different. I often think of ways that can help to change the way society operates, but at this point in time I feel as if there is little that can be done due to the fact that everyone seems to subconsciously accept such behavior. Personally, I try to acknowledge when I fall accustomed to society and when recognize that I am engaging in certain behavior that society feels woman should engage in, it helps me to realize that I should be more aware of my own actions in order to help others

 

 A few more examples of ads:

 

The Oppositional Gaze is another structure in which Bell Hooks examines, which focuses on black representation in media and the way that black women are seen as powerless to society. For example, in many television shows and movies black women play the role of the submissive and less intelligent human being, while white women play the role of the strong and bossy leader. Hook states states that “even when representations of black women were present in film, our bodies and being were there to serve – to enhance and maintain white womanhood as object of the phallocentric gaze” (119).  Black women were portrayed in films and television shows, but the way they were portrayed weren’t 100% accurate nor was it practical. I remember watching shows such as “Good Times,” and “Maude” and the white women in the show always had the upper hand and held the most power in their relationships with the black women. This made me reflect back to the times in high school when I was the only black girl amongst a group of white friends, none of them ever made me feel as if I was less than them and we all connected on many different levels. Although they never seemed to believe that they were in higher positions of power than me, they often told me stories about how their grandparents wouldn’t accept them having black friends due to the fact that they were raised during the time where segregation still existed. That goes to show you that times do change and as the world progresses, issue that were prevalent back in time, may not be prevalent during this day in age. 

 

 Here’s an link to the famous speech “We should all be feminists,” by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which addresses several issues in society in regards to women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc

 “Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support, but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?”

Ways of Seeing/Viewing: The Male Gaze

 “Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it’s all a male fantasy: that you’re strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it. Even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.”

—	Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride

The above quote certainly defines the essence of the male gaze. The word ‘gaze’ categorizes many different ways of looking and viewing (especially in terms of consuming media, advertisements, etc.), but essentially it can refer to who exactly is doing the ‘gazing.’ The male gaze is an acceptable platform on appreciating ‘everything’ that a woman is. It’s seen as the only way women can be looked at with worth or value. It is how women are viewed in modes of sexualization and objectification. A woman’s self-worth is predicated in how sexually desirable she is to the male. As much as it angers me to continue to type about the ways women are situated under the male gaze, I’ve come to learn throughout my consumption of film and media in my daily life to conclude that this supposed ‘worth’ equals ‘success’ for a woman.

According to John Berger, “To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into keeping of men” (46). Written in 1972, Berger explains the duality of the male gaze in his article “Ways of Seeing.” Berger extends the male gaze from its origin in European paintings.There is an ideology at play, where women are there solely for the men’s gage and this provides satisfaction for them. Berger says “…….the essential way of seeing women, the essential use to which their images are put, has not changed. The ‘ideal’ spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him” (63). This is an engendered idea, as well as a power issue. Who holds the power to someone else? How is the power maintained? A nude is ONLY a nude if it fits the idealizations and fantasies categorized in the male gaze. The article assumes that white males are the main/primary audience; because of this, women are subjected to scrutiny and criticism if they do not fix or hold a candle to the survey of the male gaze. John Berger emphasizes a problem that is currently prevalent in the contexts of mainstream media today. Images of women are depicted in highly sexualized, suggestive, unrealistic, and demeaning matters. We are exposed to it every day. We see it, but are we conscious of it? Or is it so ingrained that we do not realize this oppression?

“There is power in looking.”- Bell Hooks.

The Bell Hooks reading certainly challenges Bergers’. As a black woman spectator, Bell Hooks comes to actualize her point of view by being unable to identify within the survey of the male gaze. This aspect of surveying refers to the traditional white female that is presented in film. It is within cinema where the oppositional gaze is utilized. She first begins her argument from a historical perspective, where she discusses how, as slaves, African Americans were denied the ability to look. The “oppositional gaze” is the way of looking and has been a tenet of rebellion for blacks throughout history. “That all attempts to repress our/black peoples’ right to gaze had produced in us an overwhelming longing to look, a rebellious desire, an oppositional gaze” (Hooks, 116). This provided a foundation for their internal “rebellious desire” to become lit and in turn, came to protest such repression under the male gaze. The oppositional gaze challenged an existence under male gaze as well. “Even in the worse circumstances of domination, the ability to manipulate one’s gaze in the face of structures of domination that would contain, it opens up the possibility of agency.” (Hooks, 116)

Ignoring the racism and the sexism is how a black woman can identify as a spectator. As a result, a type of bond or identification with the women under survey would form. Here is where I discovered that this agency relates to some form of selective consciousness. Black women can alter and change their way of viewing a film in order to grasp it as entertainment. It is all about choice. In choosing not to look too deeply into the context, they are deliberately remaining unaware of repressive and demeaning themes contained in the male gaze. There is a consciousness of how we assess the established representation onscreen.

There are reasons we need feminism. Sexism is one of them. As viewers of cinema and consumers of different forms of media, it is without a doubt that sexism has been so internalized in our society and how we consume it. Sexism is a problem because it dehumanizes the character of another. Gender notions and imposed gender roles are socially constructed. They are both a result of prejudice and the way society looks at a designated group of people. In this case, women are perpetually oppressed. Based on gender and the inherent male gaze, women are automatically assigned characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, etc.

These are images of the covers of various issues of GQ Magazine. This magazine encompasses a perfect illustration of how our society comes to view women, especially those who work in the film and music industry. These people invoke some type of influence on the masses; therefore this is very important to realize the connection between sexuality, female talent, and beauty. It is so deeply rooted in a system of patriarchy and oppression, that we often appreciate these famous women on the basis of their physical appearance.

If you have a problem (and I believe every woman should be) with the way that you’re objectified, realize that feminine standards of beauty are racist, unfair, ridiculous, and unrealistic. It is vital and encouraged to maintain self-confidence and to refuse in not adhering to those standards of the male gaze. But the insecurity and self-doubt that is bred because of what we as females are subjected to is not to be invalidated. As long as we realize it and our conscious of it, that is a good enough start in challenging it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/20/olivia-wilde-women-and-media_n_4825851.html

^ Bravo for you, Olivia Wilde.

Link to my twitter: https://twitter.com/Gaddi_K

Bibliography:

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin, 1972. Print.

Hooks, Bell. “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators” Boston. South End Press, 1992: 115-131

Ways of Seeing/Viewing

Who holds the power by looking? In the case of the male gaze, the men are doing the looking, therefore, they have the power. It is men looking at women, and women watching themselves being looked at by men. For John Berger, the gaze seems to be a power struggle.  It creates the possession and possessor.  The possessor being a man wanting to posses a woman. Berger also expresses that this concept not only arbitrates the relationship between man and woman, but also between women and the surveyors within themselves.  In Ways of Seeing he states, “And so she comes to consider the surveyor and the surveyed within her as the two constant yet always distinct elements of her identity as a woman ” (pg. 46).  Although women may not incur the gaze at every moment, it is always at the forefront of their consciousness.  This surveyor and surveyed relationship within women creates a dual personality.  In order to be fully realized, women must always survey everything they do and everything they are because how she appears to men is ultimately of the upmost importance.

The patriarchal society we live in allows for this to be such a pervasive form of vision.  This concept is seen not only in modern popular culture, but throughout history as well.  Berger’s dissecting of European nudes and the way the female body is portrayed, mirrors advertisements and photographs seen in our modern culture.  These women are depicted to cater to a male fantasy.  The women in these forms of media are either portrayed as innocent and docile, or overwhelmingly sexified, while they are looking dead straight at the male spectator, or giving a slight glance.  Furthermore, today’s culture perpetuates the idea of the male surveyor within a female consciousness.  Even though she may be looking at herself in a mirror, she is doing so through male eyes.  The advertisements and commercials we see each day show women in the image of man.

Bell Hooks describes the oppositional gaze as a rebellious desire.  It is the black peoples’ right to gaze which creates an overwhelming longing to look.  This gaze was developed because when the black community looked to film and television all they saw was a “system of knowledge and power reproducing and maintaining white supremacy”(pg. 117).  She says, “to stare at the television, or mainstream movies, to engage its images, was to engage its negation of black representation” (pg. 117).  In order for the black audience, black women in particular, to relate to the material they would have to alter their way of viewing.  The oppositional gaze was a response to this kind looking relations, which led to the creation of black cinema.

These readings have helped me to see the objectification of women where I might not have noticed it before.  Advertisements and commercials have become more of assessment for me.  I can see more clearly now how an ad for men’s fragrance featuring a beautiful woman can be a way of insinuating that if a man purchases the fragrance he can essentially posses the woman as well.  We see celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Kim Kardashain objectifying themselves in order to be successful.  They perform and make appearances dressed in very little in order to make a name for themselves.  They dress themselves in what they believe will appeal to the male spectator, and in turn this will make other girls/women want to dress like them so they can also receive the kind of male attention these celebrities garner.  It becomes a never ending cycle.

Link to article about the recent Sports Illustrated cover:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/barbie-sparks-debate-with-sports-illustrateds-swimsuit-issue/

 

The photos above are the covers for the recent Sports Ill

The “Male Gaze” and “The Oppositional Gaze”

The gaze is an engendered way of seeing. The gaze creates a sense of anxiety which comes with the idea that one can be viewed. this implies that the subject loses a degree of power upon realizing that he or she is a visible object.

The “male gaze” on the other hand, is the objectification of the female by the heterosexual male. This gaze is very often  portrayed in Hollywood films and various forms of advertisement across media, where the heterosexual male has total control of the camera and the female is objectified. This gaze also occurs when the audience is able to view the male’s perspective from his camera placement on the female’s body, for example a shot showing her cleavage or other body parts that will show the woman as an object of desire or fantasy for both the characters in the film as well as the audience. Laura Mulvey in her article, states that the man emerges as the dominant power within the created film fantasy while the woman is passive to the active gaze from the man. Women constantly struggles with her role or function and has to adjust to the way she is viewed,since according to Laura Mulvey women look at themselves through the eyes of men.

According to Belhook, the oppositional gaze is the ability to manipulate one’s gaze in the face of structures of domination that would contain it and open up the possibility of agency. The gaze has been a site of resistance for colonized black people globally. The oppositional gaze developed out of the attempt to repress black people’s right to gaze. This repression created an overwhelming desire in blacks to look, and to be rebellious and defiant in their gaze. The gaze also developed  in the black women were portrayed in films like Amos and Andy. She became the scapegoat in order to soften the image of the black man. She was seen in a negative light , which was funny to all expect women who could identify with that portrayal. The oppositional gaze developed so that women wouldn’t feel ashamed but could look and scrutinize whatever material boldly and critically without being fearful.

Media’s portrayal of women of color, still create the need for the oppositional gaze. One would think that over time society would have changed dramatically eliminating the stereotypes that shows black women as less that the even average white woman. The portrayal of women of color as video” vixens” and maids are very deliberate choices. This has heightened an awareness in me as a woman of color, and has caused me to realize that the oppositional still exist and will not go anywhere anytime soon.