Perception Gap: Gendered Gazes
I've noticed recently that although the word gaze is in the term, people on social media have assigned gazes to certain outfits or activities.
Male gaze has as a subject that becomes an object. Female gaze generally has as a subject that becomes a whole being with a story.
This isn't to say only women can view through the female gaze and that men can only view through the male gaze. Both sexes are capable of either. It's just that, by societal standards, women are more likely to have been trained to notice and connect, whereas men were trained differently, and a lot of these teachings come from implicit experiences.
It’s not about outlandish outfits and repulsion of men, but more about women observing, perceiving and inferring; they catch emotion and subtext. It’s a learned skill from society. A male gaze outfit could also be female gaze if the audience (male or female) empathises with or connects with the subject/wearer. This is just based on societal definitions of femininity and feminine attributes.
The clothes themself don't have a specific gaze.
A female gaze outfit could become male gaze if the audience seeks to objectify or centre themselves instead of connecting. Male gaze isn’t just “oh, she’s hot,” or perving. Male gaze could also be “oh she’s let herself go,” or “What is that she’s wearing, ew,” or “I’d never be with her.”
Which isn't to say all men, or only men.
It really is just a perception gap. Appreciating the effort and meaning behind the art vs buying bc it costs a lot, and therefore I look important. (Men & Women btw.)
What do you think?
