Task 5 The Gaze

"Women watch themselves being looked at" - John Berger

Traditionally paintings were made by men of women for other men to look at, not necessarily to appreciate the womanly form but more of a way to just stair at women and find a way to justify it. Because men were in charge of this whole culture and women were merely objects this was accepted and thought of normal for men to stair at female nudes. 

Manet - 'Olympia' 1863

This Manet painting called Olympia (The name of a Godess) shocked society at the time as it was a painting not of a God figure but of a prostitute. Instead of representing the women as you would a prostitute she comes forward as successful wearing bracelets and being given gifts by a slave from her admirers. The Cat also representing individual femininity and independence. Unlike a lot of paintings representing the Gaze she is looking straight back at the viewer with confidence this kind of breaks the Gaze as the male is not free to look at the women without being looked back at, it also empowers the women as she is starring straight back at her viewer.  She also covers her leg in a way which is not fully inviting either for the male gaze. 

"Men survey women before treating them. Consequently how a women appears to a man can determine how she will be treated. To acquire some control over this process, women must contain it and interiorize it." (berger 1972, 46)

The overall way the women in this painting is coming forward, is an object of power and femininity the fact that she is starring straight back at the man shows she is not scared to confront him and wants to be treated with a form of respect. 

Sophie Dahl for Opium

"By contrast, a women's presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her" - Berger (1972, 46)

The women in the advert is fully opening herself to be starred at by men her legs are spread and she is laying in an inviting way. She is also not looking at you directly but has her eyes closed inviting the man to stair even more. The lack of eye contact also distances the viewer, allowing him to further more stair at her body. The way a women comes forward also regulates what is and is not 'permissible' (berger, 47) The women here comes forward as being open and a form of a sex symbol, the way she is represented is here is to represent the perfume she is selling.