The Male Gaze in Social Media
The academic galleries in the late 19th century in France had a comfortable space for wealthy men to view art. Specifically, a comfortable space in which they could view female nude art without repercussions or feeling slimy. It was an academic space after all. Edouard Manet changed this, of course, with Olympia (1863) in which the prostitute in the photo is glaring back at the male viewer saying, “I know you are staring, and I know your discretions.” Never before had the female been staring back at the man staring at her, let alone with controversial and modern subject matter such as a prostitute. The whole ordeal was extremely scandalous. Out of the academic gallery, this happens to me on a daily basis. Men feel the need to stare at me. I’ve caught men staring at me multiple times, or I have caught them taking a photo of me. It is not until the woman stares back at them that they stop. It is almost like they feel they are welcomed to studying my body and face until I look and confront their gaze. This is why I believe social media is the modern version of the academic gallery. The men can follow and view whatever they want on their profiles, and they have ample time to gaze at something for however long they want to. No one is there is stare back at them. Social media provides a comforting, acceptable place for the male gaze. This is problematic for many reasons, but one in particular is that now the male gaze is quantified through likes and other things, which determines what profiles are most popular. For example, the models on Instagram that are most influential have a huge male following. It is a vicious cycle in which a woman posts for likes, but the likes only go up if the male gaze is also appeased. Therefore, she must continue to post for the male viewer or she will lose likes and followers. Social media has many issues that everyone has discussed quite throughly, but we have yet to see an argument that intertwines art history and visual studies theories of the male gaze. I look forward to continuing to explore this.
