The Male Gaze, Patriarchy, and Moana

          The male gaze as described by John Berger in his book Ways of Seeing, is the objectification of women’s bodies through the perspective of a male for male spectators, with the sole purpose of pleasing men. The objectification of women's bodies for male pleasure which is found in European oil paintings, reduces the woman's value strictly to her body and physical appearance, giving the male painter complete power. It is interesting to note the strong comparison that Berger makes between European traditions and other traditions around the world, when he states, “In the average European oil painting of the nude the principal protagonist is never painted. He is the spectator in front of the picture, and he is presumed to be a man” (Berger 54). Berger’s depiction of the male gaze of the female nude, which was frequently found in European oil but, according to Berger was not common in other non-European traditions, leads one to believe that patriarchal thinking and the male superiority backed the objectification of women’s in European culture found in oil paintings. Furthermore, the male gaze forces women to be submissive, giving the male painter power over the woman to depict them however they desire, with the goal of gratifying male viewers. Berger removes all complexities of understanding the male gaze when he states: “One might simplify this by saying: men act, and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” (Berger 47). It can be added that, men possess the power through painting the women how they desire and will please other men, leading to their own glorification as artists. Consequentially, the women who were painted experienced almost a total reduction of power and were portrayed to viewer as only being valuable for their physical characteristics.
          An example of the injustice which was done to women is clear in Vanity by Memling which Berger addresses the artist saying: “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting Vanity, thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure” (Berger 51). This painting by Memling exemplifies the moral issue that is behind the European nude paintings and the male gaze. Not only is she completely naked, where she is only valued for her body but, she is also ridiculed by the artist who is criticizing the woman for being vain, as she looks at her own reflection on the mirror. As the painter was given the power to paint the woman for his pleasure, he makes an obvious effort to hide his selfish and oppressive intentions to make this woman feel inferior to all viewers of the painting, who would be mostly men.

Vanity, Memling, 1435-1439

          Despite making significant progress around the world against the societal forces of patriarchy, as women overall have increased their presence in careers where women were either not allowed to succeed or put down for their gender through discrepancies in pay and ill-treatment in the work place, along with strides which have fought against oppressive social norms that limited and suppressed women’s aspirations. In bell hooks’, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love, the author provides a very insightful definition of patriarchy when she states: “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, and everyone deemed weak, especially females and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence” (hooks 18). This definition stems from bell hook’s experiences growing up and the transmission of patriarchal thinking, which came from her parents, allows her to give such a descript and clear definition of what patriarchy is, as she has experienced it. hook's parents instilled a fear to male superiority, the requirement that men are violent in nature, and women are submissive at all times.
          The effects of patriarchy remain prevalent throughout society, as there are constantly cases of violence that depict the taught male superiority over women, along with the suppression of men’s emotions, that lead them to create “strong” characters while they suppress their own mental health. bell hooks clearly articulates that there are no positive outcomes for anyone in patriarchy when stating, “Until we can collectively acknowledge the damage patriarchy causes and the suffering it create, we cannot address male pain… Obviously patriarchal men are reliable and even benevolent care takers and providers, but still they are imprisoned by a system that undermines their mental health” (hooks 30). hooks while highlighting an effect of patriarchy that is many times forgotten which is the mental health of men, sheds light upon the vicious cycle that patriarchy has created, which must be broken for the greater good of society as we look to continue to dissolve a circle of oppression for all.
          In response to male gaze and patriarchal thinking, which is strongly present in European oil painting and other instances in which women are objectified, bell hooks initiated the term “oppositional gaze” which she defined as a responding with resistance against the oppressive male gaze (Mcgough). The oppositional gaze sought to give individuals power who historically were marginalized and were subject to the unjust power of others, which included black people, women, and other undervalued groups of individuals. Today, bell hooks culture changing work continues to be present in everyday films and pop culture. The “oppositional gaze” is embodied in the Disney movie Moana. The film sets out to empower young women through shattering the immoral social norms that have been a part of history and providing women inspiration to confront patriarchy, placing the power in the hands of Moana and in many young girl viewers throughout the world (DelVecchio). Young women viewers being empowered by a powerful woman character in Moana, which was depicted by a cartoon artist and film producer, is a true counter force against the force that patriarchy and male gaze has on our society.

Moana. 2016 Film. Walt Disney Pictures.

Works Cited

`Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation, 1972.
DelVecchio, Marina. Feminist Gaze: Moana, Patriarchy, and the Glass Ceiling. November 29, 2016
Link
Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Washington Square Press, 2005.
Hooks, Bell. Black Looks: Race and Representation. South End Press. 1992
Mcgough, Alex. hooks’s Oppositional Gaze. Black Intellectual Thought 2015. November 4, 2015. Link