Post 2 Defining the Male and Oppositional Gaze: "If I Were Your Father, I Would Have to Rape You."

 One of the first things that struck a cord in me as I read, Ways of Seeing, by John Berger, was his opening statement, “…the social presence of a woman is different in kind from that of a man. (p.45)”  As much as my feminist mind hates to admit it, the statement is accurate, but not in a flattering way towards women—the woman’s social presence is automatically deemed as weaker than that of a man.  Berger goes on to say, “A man’s presence is dependent upon the promos of power which he embodies.  If the promise is large and credible, his presence is striking (p. 45).”  Was Trayvon Martin’s blackness [presence] defined as powerful and that is why he was shot to death, or was George Zimmerman’s whiteness [presence] seen as the more powerful one, therefore, feeling entitled to shoot? This presence-and-power analogy is definitely divided into parts—race and gender.  No matter what the physicality is of a woman, her presence will never be more powerful than her male counterparts, nor will the black presence be more powerful than that of whites.  

 Without saying it, black men show us everyday that their desire to be with a white woman is based solely on the fact that she is white.  Black males are adamant about not wanting to be judged by the way they look--skin color, attire, speech--but yet, they are consistent in their critique of how "slutty" a woman is based on her attire, speech, and occasionally, skin color.  Berger says, “…a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her.  Her presence is manifest in her gestures, voice, opinions, expressions, clothes, chosen surroundings…(p. 46)”  Women will, more often than not, make exceptions for the men they choose as a mate, compromising the physicality and personality of the man.  This is not typical of the male gender. Women use their gaze to make exceptions for men, while men use the gaze to criticize women.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/09/17/there-is-nothing-funny-or-smart-about-that-viral-nicki-minaj-parody-video/

So my parents would not worry, I used the old, “My-friend-said-this-once-happened-to-her" line.  But, really, this very revolting experience happened to me.  When I was 200 pounds, I was very voluptuous.  A man once said to me as I stood at a bus stop, “If you were my daughter, I would have to rape you.”  I was fully clothed, dressed appropriately, but my young brain could not process that the comment was not my fault.  This experience of mine defines the male gaze.  The oppositional gaze is something I am ashamed to define, but this is how I see it—the asexual subject or someone viewed as asexual—overweight, unattractive, inarticulate and not sensual at all, and usually a black woman.  This type of black person is often given a public platform--Sherri Shepard from, The View.  Presenting the worst of black women to the world seems to be a trend.  Notice how nearly every talk show has the overweight, loud, black woman.  Whites have contributed to what I perceive the oppositional gaze to be.  And if there are too many black women in public arenas that stray away from this gaze that comforts some whites, they become uneasy and it becomes obvious: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/09/26/people-magazine-deletes-stupid-insensitive-tweet-about-the-help-during-viola-daviss-new-show/.  Because I believe that men have defined the gaze, then the oppositional gaze is the antithesis of the male gaze.  The oppositional gaze allows non-black people to view and perpetuate stereotypes in the black race.  

In, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Laura Mulvey states, “The presence of a woman is an indispensable element of spectacle in normal narrative film, yet her visual presence tends to work against the development of a storyline …(p. 837)”  Instantly, I think of the role of “Bond Girl.”  What does a beautiful woman coming out of the water in a bikini have to do with assisting the male protagonist, James Bond, in saving the world?”  In an interview, actress, Angelina Jolie, revealed the studios asked her to be a "Bond Girl."  Her response, "I don't want to be a "Bond Girl," I want to be Bond."  That is how the role, Salt, came to her.  However, if Jolie allows herself to still be sexualized, as mentioned in the film, Misrepresentation, is she still in control?

Singer and performer, Little Richard, explains why he is always in makeup during performances. He told the story of the infancy stages of his career, which were very frustrating.  At a time when the country was still segregated, because Richard was a handsome man, white women expressed their attraction for him in the nightclubs where he played. White men began to feel threatened and Richard was asked not to return.  After this recurring episode, he then decided to make a buffoon of himself by putting on a ton of ridiculous and feminine makeup to appear non-threatening to white men.  In Bell Hooks, The Oppositional Gaze, Hook says, “Amazed the first time I read in history classes that white slaveowners punished enslaved black people for looking… (p.115)”  I cannot say for sure if white men punished their white women for ogling this black male entertainer, I can only speculate that they did.  I do know that Richard was punished.  He emasculated himself for acceptance.  Hooks goes on to say, “…I wondered how this traumatic relationship to the gaze had informed black parenting and black spectatorship. (p. 115)”  The gaze Hooks speaks about has influenced black pathology, especially when it comes to how black people raise their children—corporal punishment.  Not all black children grew up in violence. I was never hit.  However, as we see prominent black people on television gleefully telling their stories of getting whooped (they are careful to not use the word “whipped),”  and beaten, it has a negative affect on the next generation of both blacks and whites.

                                                               
                                                               Works Cited

Hooks, Bell. "Black Looks: Race and Representation."  The Oppositional Gaze. Boston : South End Press, 1992: 115-31
Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism : Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford Up, 1999: 833-44
Berger, John. "Ways of Seeing." London: Penguin, 1972: 39-64