The Gaze and the Media Seminar

The Seminar;
There are similarities between old paintings and images used now, they follow the same traits throughout, common features are;

• All women
• Exposure - makes it comfortable for the viewer to look at the naked women without feeling like they are being judged or watched.
• Naturalises the process of sexual exploitation.
• Socially normal for women to be naked.
• Women's body's are known as a pleasure and an object of beauty.

Males view on the world, if a painting is done by a man, it is showing how the man sees things, not how a women sees things.

Differences between;

Alexandre Cabanel 'Birth of Venus' 1863

Manet 'Olympia 1863

• The first image is of a goddess and the second image is of a prostitute.
• Both are naked women although the first image is seen as an artistic nude, its not realistic and its classic, whereas the second image is a hooker in a brothel, making the image feel more real.
• Both paintings are done by men, providing a form of titillation.

People with money were the ones who bought the paintings, therefore it was mainly men as they were the providers. Therefore people painted for men as they would be buying them, this is why there is  lot of naked women rather than naked men paintings. The women are painted to look at, and never be looked back at, you can look for as long as you want without getting caught or being challenged.

Hans Melming 'Vanity' 1485

• Women like to look at themselves, therefore you can look at them too. 
• This is showing a women looking in a mirror at an impossible angle, looking at the mirror means that the women isn't looking back at you therefore you are allowed to stare and look at her.

There is a general tendency that women look and act a certain way, you can still see this in modern images of women. There are the same characteristics now as there was then.

Perfume Adverts;

Source

• She looks at you seductively.
• Making you want to be that women, therefore jealous of that women.
• Desire.
• Effecting your identity, if you buy this perfume you will be like this women, and be just as seductive.
• Sexuality.

Naked vs. Nude;
Objectification
Subjects vs. Object