Begone the Male Gaze

        Men and Women – what did it matter? Four waves of feminism have been written down on history and it is still put into question whether gender equality has really been achieved or not. Remaining unanswered, the question still sets up a heated debate between people.

        March comes in and welcomes another celebration of National Women’s Month. With the theme, “WE for Gender Equality and Inclusive Society,” it reminds again the people that there is still work to be done for the improvement of rights, healthcare, development, and livelihood of Filipino women. One major unsolved issue is the sexual harassment of women, which still occurs up to this day.

        Women are still catcalled and sexualized in the modern day, and depictions of highly oversexualized female characters in various media are still rampant especially in animated films produced for the viewing of innocent children. This maltreatment causes destruction on the self-esteem of women by self-objectification. Women, as a result of such deep-rooted sexual harassment, see their appearance and sex appeal as a social currency, a way for them to succeed in life.

        I present to you, the male gaze, which is the depiction of women in arts, film, and literature as sexualized objects satisfying the male sexual desire; it also refers to the act of men seeing women as such. This is seen in classical art, old films, and also seen in, as mentioned earlier, “child-friendly” animated films. Such immorality in such a feminist world just tells that there is still indeed work to be done to improve the rights of women.

        This brings in pressure to women to conform to this remnant of the patriarchal society the world once was and endure being seen as nothing but a sexual object. This also limits and defines women in a fetishized manner which is harmful and demeaning. This also discourages women empowerment as it encourages them to see their bodies as a social currency. Such a deeply impactful problem warrants a solution, not only to end sexual harassment but also to achieve gender equality.

        Gender equality cannot be achieved without the solution of problems harming one of the two sexes, which includes women. Which means that for as long as women are still sexually harassed, the world can not achieve gender equality. With little steps, sexual harassment against women can be ended, and you, dear reader, can partake in the institution of change by ending the male gaze – begone the male gaze!

        Let’s continue striving for gender equality! 🦖

        Thank you for stretching your attention span long enough to read until the very end! 🧡




REFERENCES:
    Shimizu, Y. (2019). Dusting off the Male Gaze. [Digital Art]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwYAQfsj5y4/