‘according to usage and conventions which are at last being questioned
but have by no means been overcome - men
act and women appear. Men look at
women. Women watch themselves being looked at’ (Berger 1972, 45, 47)
Throughout history, men have been noted as the dominant sex, in almost
every culture and at almost every stage of development. Even in the world of
art, until very recently, it was male dominated.
Women have always been objectified; almost all nudes in fine art
throughout history have been female, painted for rich men to admire. Although
today the story is very similar, there is a feeling that women, in art and
advertising are becoming more dominant.
This first image, the Birth of Venus, painted by Alexandre Cabanel in
1863 is a perfect example of the female nude seen throughout history. Lying
backwards with her hands above her head, like a damsel in distress, her pose is
incredibly submissive. Cherubs surrounding her add to the fantastical element
of the painting, men can look upon her in a way that she would never be viewed
in reality.
Historically the female has been submissive and is not entirely present
in the act of being viewed. For example in the Birth of Venus, her gaze is
everted from the viewer, implying she is there only to be looked upon and will
not look back upon you. However contemporary advertising puts women in a much
more dominant position in this process of being viewed.
The Lynx advert above shows the woman scantily clad, looking directly
at the viewer. She is much more a part of this process of being gazed upon and
she is fully aware of it. Her
stance suggests dominance within the ad and her lack of clothing suggests
confidence.
This change in the gaze, may only be slight and advertising and art is
still very much based around the female model, however women now appear to have
power over men as opposed to the other way round. They control the advertising
with their gaze upon the viewer. The objectification of women has never
changed, however the use of the gaze has.
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