INDIAN AD TURNS THE MALE GAZE BACK ON ITSELF AND IT'S AWESOME

[Threedifferentones]

296. Gravitycollapse, IMO yours is the most important point in the thread.

The word's "male" and "gaze" obviously have distinct, literal meanings. But, when they are combined in this context, "male gaze" takes on a different and much more significant meaning than simply "a man looking."

The male gaze is a social phenomenon, and (I imagine, being male) to a woman it is not so much about any one man being attracted to her body, but rather how men collectively fixate on her body, ignoring her personality and thoughts, thereby making clear (by implication at least) that she is an object to be pursued and not a person to interact with on equal footing.

Given this concept of the male gaze, it is clear that what bothers a woman is not that any given man might "check out" her curves as she goes about her day, but rather that men in general think of her solely as a physical body to be used, instead of as a person they can relate to.

One guy staring at you on the bus is a creep acting creepy.

It is a part of life that people become aware of who they are attracted to via sensations of lust and arousal. Since lust and arousal are generally perceived as pleasurable sensations, it is natural that people will look more frequently at those other they find attractive.

But innumerable men leering day after day, and talking to one another as if women lack personality, agency and serious thoughts, seems like a conspiracy.

Further evidence of that conspiracy is that you don't hear gay men heckling other men in daily life, even though they are presumably just as horny as us heterosexuals. Why not? Because while a gay man may lust after my body as if it were an object he would like to possess, he does not have a million cultural hints telling him that it is okay to ignore my thoughts and feelings. Indeed, a gay man who is admiring my ass would probably be quite concerned about my reaction if he chose to express those sentiments in public, while the men in the ad clearly do not care one bit about what the women think or feel.

It is fair to call that conspiracy patriarchy, or at least a part of patriarchy. While politics and gender dynamics are more complicated than simply saying "down with patriarchy," in general that seems like a fine place to start.