10 months, 1 week ago-
Male gaze refers to presenting women as objects of male desire, thought it was extremely prevalent in the earlier days it has reduced significantly but nonetheless did not vanish. “Don’t let anyone make you believe that the length of your skirt is a measure of your character” said the great actor, Amitabh bhachchan in a beautiful letter he wrote to both his granddaughters. The media plays an important role in portraying women as just an aid for sexual needs and nothing else, this representation of women in media influences societal attitudes and gives rise to gender inequalities. Ever since women started standing up for themselves regarding gender inequality, the traditional male gaze and sexist comments have reduced to an extent but has not evaporated yet.For the longest time male gaze has destructed female empowerment and self advocacy while encouraging patriarchy at its worst. Over the years there have been efforts of subverting the male gaze through various forms of art like cinema, music and storytelling but none of them seemed to have been as effective as speaking for themselves. Typical examples of male gaze in cinema were depicting the women in the movie whose main purpose is to drive the man crazy with her appearance and seducing looks and while they may have been shown in a variety of ways, the central theme around their character would be being the eye candy.Think of multiple magazine covers where the female model who is minimally clothed is posed alongside a man who is fully covered, this shows that men can be provocative enough without showing a lot of skin.From early adolescence on we are biologically driven to look at each other as potential mates but the male gaze twists this natural urge turning women into passive items to posses and use as props. In essence, the male gaze is a societal creation that can be disarmed through awareness and a conscious decision to either tolerate or disregard it. Alternatively, one can choose to embrace it and redefine its influence, using its power to shape their own sexuality, agency, and self-worth according to their own terms.
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