looking
written by darcy gallagher designed by karoline cunico photographed by katey cooney
the gh
a l g ss
throu
Written by Darcy Gallagher | Designed by Karoline Cunico | Photographed by Kathryn Cooney
Quiet is not a word in the vocabulary of those who have been affected by the patriarchy. The white, heterosexual male continues to control our society, and we need to further our efforts in using our voices to overturn this all-encompassing power. Many have seen the trends on Tik Tok discerning the “male gaze.” It’s a term some are unfamiliar with, but the fad on social media has resurfaced the hideous truth that our world is still controlled by the male. The male gaze is a topic that originated in the film industry but applies to today’s culture. Used in film to portray women through an objectified lens, the male gaze has infiltrated its way into other aspects of our society. It not only upholds our world’s patriarchal values and structures, but it also controls the perspectives people view themselves through — perspectives based on the male’s ideals of beauty, intellect, status, and experience.
61
How, then, are we supposed to view our identity or life through anything other than the male perspective? The male gaze holds power over societal norms and shapes how we view our roles in today’s culture. To overthrow the gaze of the male, we must first discover our own.
who feel suppressed by male-dominated culture and values. She uses her poetry to expose the vulnerability, hardship, strength, intimacy, power, and sexual parts of the female experience that a male gaze could never grasp. The woman in the female gaze is both the creator and viewer.
The female gaze is a term coined against that of the male gaze. This version aims to portray women in realistic ways. It focuses on empathy, humanity, identity, and empowerment, as well as the “presence and depth of character” of its subject (TheArtGorgeous). It depicts the social, professional, individual, and sexual female experience in ways that are true to her.
An additional alternative gaze, the queer gaze (also a term originating in the film industry), is separate from mainstream LGBTQIA+ cinema, which is sculpted by the “heteronormative framework” (3:AMMagazine). The queer gaze embraces uniqueness and inclusion. It is not bound by any binary constraints and does not aim to fit into any particular societal mold or category.
A great example of the female gaze is Rupi Kaur. As a poet, she utilizes her writing and live performances to tell the story of the female. She uplifts those
LGBTQIA+ individuals are still underrepresented in the workplace and the media. The queer gaze aims to create its own rules and
