Exhibit 2: The Male Gaze
In European oil paintings, men view women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This split shapes how women are painted and how they see themselves.
A man's presence suggests what he's capable of doing to you or for you so power might be physical, social, economic, or moral, but it always points outward. A woman's presence expresses her attitude toward herself..
From early childhood, a woman learns to constantly monitor herself. She splits into two parts: the surveyor and the surveyed.
Watching Yourself Being Watched
How a woman appears to men determines how she'll be treated. To get some control over this, she has to internalize it. The part of her that surveys treats the part that's surveyed as a demonstration of how she'd like others to treat her and this becomes her presence.
If a woman throws a glass on the floor, it's read as an example of how she treats her own anger and how she wants that anger treated by others. If a man does the same thing, it's just an expression of his anger.
Naked vs. Nude
To be naked is to be yourself, without clothes. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for yourself. A body becomes a nude when it's seen as an object. Nakedness reveals itself while nudity is placed on display.
The nude is a form of "attire". In European oil painting, the viewer is never painted and he's presumed to be a man standing in front of the picture as everything is arranged for him.
The woman's body is arranged to display itself to this viewer and her pose has nothing to do with her own feelings or desires but rather, for the male gaze.
Painted for the Viewer
In most nude paintings, the woman's attention rarely goes to any lover who might be painted alongside her. She looks away from him or out of the picture toward the real viewer, the spectator-owner looking at the painting.
However, there are exceptions. In these rare cases, the painter's vision attaches the woman to himself so strongly that the viewer is forced to recognize himself as an outsider. And as result, he can't turn her into a nude.
The way the painter has painted her includes her will and intentions in the structure of the image itself, in the expression of her body and face. She's not performing for anyone.
Looking at Who's Looking
Notice who looks at whom. Notice who's aware of being watched. Notice the difference.
A man painted looking outward. His gaze suggests power and capability. He doesn't need to care if you're watching.
The mirror wasn't painted for her. It shows you, the viewer, that she knows she's being looked at.
Susanna and the Elders. The painting's theme is literally about being watched. We join the elders spying on her bathing.
Venus reclining. Her nakedness isn't an expression of her feelings. It's a sign of submission to the owner's gaze.
A modern advertisement using the exact same visual language. The tradition continues in publicity.