What exactly does the term ‘male gaze’ indicate? Well, it is more than just a mere terminology. Male gaze refers to the way in which women are perceived through the male gaze. The gaze’s perspective here is completely foreign in nature. Men and women are naturally distinct from each other. The social stratification of the rules for men and women segregates them into different categories or blocks. The lack of interaction between male and female students, although, is highly prevalent in the grassroot level of the society. This creates a bridge between the genders, clearly washing away any chances of equality directly. Patriarchy results in this male gaze.
When women are treated like objects, the society begins to malfunction. Imagine a situation. You are a woman travelling in a bus. You hardly know anyone in this unknown environment. Suddenly, you feel a cold gaze down your shoulder. Almost automatically. What is the reason behind this particular reflex action? Is staring not something common? Then why do you start to feel uncomfortable suddenly? It is the gaze. The intent behind the gaze. This has become a very common phenomenon in India. It can be observed almost on a daily basis while going outside.
Male gaze and female gaze coexist in the society. The way we perceive individuals around us is dependent on our social and political position. As a woman, what is your social stance? At the same point of time, what is the position of a man who is staring? Why does he behave the way he does? This is an offshoot of the patriarchal society. This bleeds through each and every vein of the society. There is hardly any scope to ignore the reality. Human perception is mainly shaped by whatever we witness around us. If we grow up in a toxic environment, it affects us too.
Male gaze is a term coined by Laura Mulvey. The male gaze is a way of looking at women in visual media and arts. Visual media and arts are a direct part of our reality. The relationship between the first and the latter is directly proportional in nature. Thus, women are reduced to sexual objects. Women are presented as passive bodies to look at on screen. They are hardly active characters with a unique and rare personality. Early 90s Bollywood films featured actresses solely in item numbers. They were nothing more than eye candy.
Eye candy is solely dependent on a view of pleasure. Now, what exactly does this mean? This item song trend is still relevant till date. Every new film has an item song, for some kind of unfathomable reason. There are hardly films which explore the woman’s character the way a protagonist should be analyzed. The camera angle strictly focuses on the body of the woman. Her beauty is depicted in a sexually tantalizing, titillating manner. This has a widespread impact on the society .
