A Question on Male Gaze

[T.Allen.Smith]

Recently, in one of my live critique groups, a member who I respect (he has a degree and career in film so he offers a unique perspective) thought one of my scenes displayed male gaze.

I know what the concept of male gaze is, and I've tried very hard to avoid these types of issues in my NIP. I've gone to great lengths to portray my female characters as unique individuals with motives, agency, and equal weight. So, his comment shocked me.

Let me explain the context.

I have a character, an eight-year-old girl, in a classroom setting. She clears her hair from her eyes by sweeping it back and tucking the locks behind an ear.

That action, the tucking of hair behind an ear, is what his comment was based on. According to him, that is a common descriptive action that male writers have their female characters perform, & it's an example of male gaze.

I have a little girl. She's four and does this all the time. She was the inspiration for that action tag.

So, I ask you.... Is this truly an example of male gaze? It seems over the top to me, especially considering the character's age, but I've been wrong before.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

Recently, in one of my live critique groups, a member who I respect (he has a degree and career in film so he offers a unique perspective) thought one of my scenes displayed male gaze.

I know what the concept of male gaze is, and I've tried very hard to avoid these types of issues in my NIP. I've gone to great lengths to portray my female characters as unique individuals with motives, agency, and equal weight. So, his comment shocked me.

Let me explain the context.

I have a character, an eight-year-old girl, in a classroom setting. She clears her hair from her eyes by sweeping it back and tucking the locks behind an ear.

That action, the tucking of hair behind an ear, is what his comment was based on. According to him, that is a common descriptive action that male writers have their female characters perform, & it's an example of male gaze.

I have a little girl. She's four and does this all the time. She was the inspiration for that action tag.

So, I ask you.... Is this truly an example of male gaze? It seems over the top to me, especially considering the character's age, but I've been wrong before.

Can you give an explanation of what "male gaze" is...you know for those who don't know. I'm asking for a friend who doesn't know...that's it...yeah.

 

[Black Dragon]

I have a character, an eight-year-old girl, in a classroom setting. She clears her hair from her eyes by sweeping it back and tucking the locks behind an ear.

My 4 year old daughter does this regularly. I don't think that noticing this is an example of "male gaze."

 

[Mythopoet]

His comment doesn't make any sense to me. It's an example of male gaze just because male writers use it? It definitely is something girls do a lot. I know I do and my daughters do.

 

[Ireth]

I always thought "male gaze" referred to excessive mentioning of a woman's breasts/hips/etc. rather than actions like the one described above.

 

[Nimue]

Wat? I dunno if brushing her hair out of her eyes would qualify as a moment of male gaze. Not unless you're also laying it on thick about how cute she is. I think that may be a personal tic for that critiquer...at least, I've never heard anyone bring that up before.

The primo example of male gaze (that I've read before) is a male author having a female character describe her breasts bobbing about, just casually on a walk. Dunno about you guys, but the only time I think about the motion of my boobs is a) new bra or b) ouch, more support pls.

 

[Russ]

I confess I had to look up "male gaze" but I got the idea now.

I do not think for a second that what you wrote is "male gaze."

 

[X Equestris]

It doesn't seem like male gaze to me. It seems like a perfectly natural action that I see people with long hair do all the time.

 

[Svrtnsse]

For reference: Male gaze - Geek Feminism Wiki
I'm sure the exact definition will vary depending on who you ask - but this site was the first result when putting male gaze into google, and I guess it's reasonably accurate.

---

I feel it's a bit over the top referring to what you describe as male gaze.

Sure, tucking the hair behind the ear may very well be an action that a lot of male writers use when describing the motions of female characters, but classifying it as male gaze based on that single sentence seems to be missing the point. Shouldn't the sentence be put into the context of whatever else is going on at the time?

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Okay. Thanks, all. That's what I thought, but wanted to give it consideration.

@Nimue: I don't talk about how cute she is at all. In fact, she considers herself plain, ordinary, & stocky in build.

 

[Nimue]

Yeah, I think you stumbled across someone's pet peeve. Kudos to you for giving it consideration, though.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

With that definition in mind that doesn't seem too male gazey to me. Especially since the kid is well young and male gaze seems to be more...carnal(?) than that.

 

[Gryphos]

I think if in the past there has been tendency for women to be described as doing that action, it's simply because there's a tendency for female characters to have longer hair and thus at times require that action. Hell, as a dude I used to have quite long hair and I found myself doing that all the time.

 

[Penpilot]

I don't think it's male-gazing either. When I grow my hair out to shoulder length, I do this too. And for the record, I'm a dude.

It's kind of a necessity when you have long hair. The ears become built in hooks so the hair doesn't get into your mouth when you're eating, or into your eyes when you're reading, etc.

 

[Incanus]

I also used to do this motion when I wore long hair (oh, so long ago). I think it is a long-hair thing, and not a male/female thing.

I conclude we need a new catagory: Long Hair Gaze.

 

[cupiscent]

I think perhaps I see where the critiquer is coming from on this - though everyone on this thread has commented on people, including themselves, performing this action all the time, how often do you think about doing it? It becomes a reflex, a default, not an action you take. Whereas from an observer's perspective - often explicitly and implicitly a male one, and especially in modern media - the hair-tuck has been commonly referenced and displayed as a flirtatious and conscious gesture.

I don't think it's inherently problematic, especially if performed by a small child. I don't have any concerns about it in and of itself. But maybe that's where the critique was coming from?

Kudos for pausing to think, though. A moment's reflection never hurts.

 

[Tom]

How is tucking hair behind your ears a male-gaze thing? My younger sister has waist-length hair, and she does it just because, if she didn't, her hair would make it impossible for her to see. Hell, I have short hair, and I sometimes tuck it behind my ears. (And I'm not even a girl.) For me, it's kind of a nervous tic. Some people also do it when they're bored.

I can sort of see where the critiquer is coming from, though. Smoothing or tucking hair behind the ears is a classic "flirty" action, and it's often used in movies--along with a quick smile or sidelong glance--to communicate that the girl is interested in the male lead. My sister, as noted, has long hair, and she plays with it when she's talking to a guy she's into.

However, in the context of your scene, that action doesn't have connotations of the male gaze. The girl's age should be enough to show that the action is harmless. Maybe you could write in some indicators that would help establish the intent of the action--such as describing how she's bored because the teacher is taking forever to finish the lesson, how she plays with her hair when she's bored. That would clear up any misconceptions once and for all.

 

[Nimue]

Good point, Cupiscent. I could see how a plethora of details like this--gestures or features of a female POV character that sound as though they're being described by someone watching her, a fixation on physical appearance--could come across as male-gazey. However, given that TAS is making a point of fleshing out his characters beyond the physical, and this was a pretty harmless example, I don't think this instance is a problem at all. Also, writers bend POV all the time to relate things that, in a strictly realistic sense, characters wouldn't notice about themselves or their surroundings.

Maybe something to think about, but not worry about.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Just to clarify a bit more.

1. The girl is eight.

2. The hair fell over her eyes and she sweeps it behind an ear to see when someone calls her name. It's clearly described as a way to clear vision.

3. There are no males or potential love interests of any kind in this room. She hasn't yet shown any sexual interest of any kind.

However, I do agree that context determines if it could be considered male gaze. I can't think of how many movies show the lonely girl at the bar flirting with the male lead by playing with her hair.

 

[Trick]

Just to clarify a bit more.

1. The girl is eight.

2. The hair fell over her eyes and she sweeps it behind an ear to see when someone calls her name. It's clearly described as a way to clear vision.

3. There are no males or potential love interests of any kind in this room. She hasn't yet shown any sexual interest of any kind.

However, I do agree that context determines if it could be considered male gaze. I can't think of how many movies show the lonely girl at the bar flirting with the male lead by playing with her hair.

Just not eight year olds... to be honest, that he saw that as male gaze is weird to me. I think Nimue nailed it and it is his pet peeve. He dislikes it so much that he didn't think about male gaze being unlikely and inappropriate in direct reference to what you wrote. If it had been a long-haired little boy, in the exact situation, he probably still wouldn't have liked it, he just wouldn't have called it male gaze.

Plus, how is it male gaze if she is the POVC and she moves the hair to be able to see? I think the whole idea that he brought it up is kind of silly. At the very worst, I could imagine it somehow seeming like a forced physical cliche, but unless you repeat it a lot, even that is unlikely.

EDIT

Has this guy ever had long hair? (my guess is no)