Overthrowing The Male Gaze: The Body and The Media

The media plays a significant role in the way that ideas are spread in society. "American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching television, 17 hours a week listening to music, 3

hours a week watching movies, 4 hours a week reading magazines, 10 hours a week online. That's 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption a day." (MissRepresentation) Time and time again, women have had to combat being exposed to beauty standards and projections about their bodies that are enforced upon them by men. More often than not, these ideals are harmful, unrealistic, and dehumanizing. Leaving women feeling like they need to abide by the rules of the male gaze to be loved, admired, and accepted by them.

Not only does this reinforce the patriarchy and gender imbalances, but it also continuously affirms to women that stepping outside of the box they've been forced into is the only way they will be accepted in society. We can see the same issues pop up when sex is portrayed in the media. Until more recently, it was difficult to encounter sex or sensuality in the media that wasn't catered to a male audience. Examples of this can be seen in porn, music videos, commercials, films, magazines, etc. We have all heard of the phrase "sex sells," and that ideology has been used to exploit women for money and advertising.

This is dangerous because young girls and women consume these messages and internalize them, thus further implying that they need to exude sex appeal to be deemed woman enough. It's fair to note that the only way to combat these disadvantageous perspectives is by overthrowing the male gaze. It's time for us to say to hell with pushing these narratives. Women deserve to be able to show up and present themselves in whatever way makes them feel the most authentic, regardless of the influences of the gender binary and patriarchy. As a queer person, this, in particular, was a challenge for me growing up. Despite not being aware that I was queer at a young age, I feel like, individually, I have always sought out media that spoke to those parts of my identity. "The media is the message and the messenger. And an extremely powerful one." (MissRepresentation)

The media played a significant role in my life as a kid. I loved sneaking off into my room to watch Degrassi when I was younger because it was catered to a teen audience, and there was lesbian and trans representation on the show. Not only was it important for me to be exposed to different perspectives on sexuality, but Degrassi also displayed characters that stood outside of the gender binary when it came to their gender expression. "People learn from media more than any other source of information. So, if you want to understand what is going on in our society in the 21st century, we have to understand media." (MissRepresentation) Characters like Adam (a trans man) on Degrassi expanded my ideas on gender expression and inspired me to dress in ways that felt authentic, despite the guidelines of the gender binary.

In Degrassi, we can also observe characters like Manny, who fell into the pressures of the male gaze. In middle school, teenage girls experience many social and developmental changes. In the show, compared to her close friends, Manny has a hard time trying to find a boyfriend. Manny is also having doubts about her appearance and deems herself less attractive compared to other girls in her grade. Because she is young and impressionable, she believes that the best way to gain attention from boys at school is to change her appearance. "Girls get the message, from very early on, that what's most important is the way they look. That their value, their worth depends on that." (MissRepresentation) Eventually, she has a full transformation, and she obtains the results that she wanted. Manny starts to gain more attention from boys because she is dressing and behaving in ways that align with the male gaze. Although it's giving her the attention she wants in the meantime, she's also having to compromise her authenticity and dignity.

Sometimes, there was some overlap with the kind of representation that I consumed in

the media and I feel it was more situational. My mom and I spent a lot of time watching television together, and the shows would range from RuPaul's Drag Race to America's Next Top Model. These two shows have polar opposite perspectives and messages about the body and sex. RuPaul's Drag Race was a great show for me to be exposed to at such a young age. I feel like it gave me insight into different bodies and identities outside of the narratives, like America's Next Top Model. America's Next Top Model didn't present the best representation of bodies and identities because it was still strictly in alignment with Western beauty standards, patriarchal ideologies, and the male gaze. On RuPaul's Drag Race, there was more room for inclusivity, many bodies, intersectionality, and the LGBTQ+ community. If you think about media and technology, they are delivering content that is shaping our society. They are shaping our politics. They are shaping our national discourse. And most of all, they are shaping our children's brains and lives and emotions." (MissRepresentation) It's also important to consider that the world and its ideas were drastically different from the late 90s and early 2000s, when I was growing up. Perspectives have evolved now and are (generally) more progressive. There wasn't a lot of that back then. I intentionally had to seek out media that I could see myself in. Especially because it was never acceptable or normal or ignored. This further confirms that the ideas and perspectives that are shown in the media matter. They are significant influences in society, it is implemented into our daily lives. These perspectives must be honest, accurate, and inclusive. Women need to consume honest perspectives about themselves in the media.

This is how they understand that their power lies outside of their appearance and the male gaze.

Works Cited:

Newsom, Jennifer Siebel, director. Miss Representation.