As the norm, media is and has been for centuries, created
for male consumption. Because of this standard the way images are presented
with “woman as image, man as bearer of the look” according to Laura Mulvey's essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,
places women in an objectified position. This inundation of media presented in
this way affects society in many ways including perpetuating the patriarchal
system.
When looking for examples of the male gaze in media you
don’t have to look very far. While media that is targeted to men are certain to
be show this gaze...
Those that are targeted to women also mimic this formula of woman as object.
By contrast the oppositional gaze as described by Bell Hooks comes from the other end of the spectrum, the viewer being a black female as opposed to the white heterosexual male normative. This perspective is a result of the the under and misrepresentation of the black female, portraying her as someone who is inferior, uneducated, a nag, overly sexual, among other things. An indie artist, Chapter, made a satiric music video that demonstrates this.
This is a satire video but may not be viewed as such by many who buy into the media's portrayal and will see this as a proof that they are right. Which makes combating these types of stereotypes so much more difficult.
Being aware of these structures makes me wonder why this isn't discussed more often. Why do we as a society accept these roles? They are so ingrained in us that we don't even think to question them.
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