THE GAZE: THEN & NOW

From a young age, I developed insecurities with my skinny legs, hairy arms and long body. As I’ve grown, I’ve learned to proudly embrace all the shapes, features and forms that come with it.

I dissect every little spec of my appearance to ensure it fits the criteria.

A gaze shadowed me everywhere since my youth, eventually morphing with my own. I was doing everything right; loose-fit clothing, neutral pieces, no skin showing, no bold colors. Yet that wasn’t enough.

Self-objectification: convincing yourself your body needs constant fixing. We split ourselves in two; one being a Dr. Jekyll-esque success story, the other a hellish Mr. Hyde collage we built ourselves.

When I go for a walk, clothed from head to toe in sweatpants, a hoodie and a ponytail, I still get creepy stares from men in trucks. I’ve realized it doesn’t matter what you wear; being a woman alone is usually enough.

We tend to stay in unhealthy relationships because we feel they’re attracted to us; what else is out there? I’m disgusting. These intrusive, society-induced thoughts halt female progress. Our brains are trained to think we aren’t good enough. We constantly worry about how we look and forget to live in our bodies.

Laura Mulvey, a British feminist film theorist, described the concept of the “male gaze” in her 1973 essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Mulvey attested that the male gaze essentially hypersexualizes women by reducing them to objects of ‘aesthetic’ value only for the pleasure of heterosexual males. This is believed to be the “perfect woman”.

Think about it: how much more comfortable and relaxed are women when they’re just hanging out with their girlfriends? Sweats, hair up, no makeup. When guys come into play, the whole mood changes. Tight outfit, hair down, makeup on.

This leaves us with a double standard. Why should I impress men and feed into their sexual desires when they won’t do the same for me?

But this double standard is becoming less popular. Instead of wanting to look “attractive” in the traditional sense, women wear their apparel as an opportunity to indulge in their creativity. The wardrobe has shifted from being very conservative to being more badass—Blazers, trench coats, heels, trousers, etc.

For the last decade, body positivity has shifted into becoming a more positive idea where clothing campaigns have emphasized the idea of, “Girls, you are so beautiful. Never change.” Campaigns like Aerie #AerieREAL and JCPenney #HereIAm.

The male gaze has been in style for far too long and it’s time to start dressing for ourselves. Over time, the new replaces the old. Every woman has a unique way of looking at the world, reflected in her clothes. Every woman’s version of empowerment is different. Some prefer to wear modest clothing, while others lean more revealing.

It is time we take the gaze back and make it our own! Whatever item of clothing I choose to wear, one thing will remain definite: The only gaze that matters is mine. DENISA FLUTURAS

Models Noah Jones, Angela Mueller, Ty Parris, Anthony Perina, Raya, Dallas Young Fashion Hobby Photography Katalina Enriquez, Nicole Scharff, Ian Alvarez Ward Design Chloe Girod