Objectification

From MarxWiki

John Berger analyzes women in art in his work Ways of Seeing. He argues that the social presence of men and women are different. He writes, `A man's presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies.` His presence implies a power which he may exert on other people. But a woman's presence `expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her...to be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.` As a result of this her self is divided into two. She is always watching an image of herself. Women are taught to `survey` themselves continuously. She must survey herself carefully because how she appears to others (particularly men) will determine how successful her life will be.

Berger writes, `Men survey women before treating them.` The only way a woman can take some control over how she will be treated, she must take control over the way she appears. Her presence determines how people will treat her self. This results in men acting and women appearing. This idea is manifested in art as well. Women and men are not portrayed the same way in art because, `the 'ideal spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him.`

As discussed in Production and consumption, the division of labor tends to, as Marx implies is the `natural division of labor` tends to control the role of women in our society. It is almost implied that women's role is pre-destined as a producted of the over-arching practice of labor division to be inferior and subservient to men. Such ideas perpetuate the objectification of women as Laura Mulvey would discuss in her gaze theory (related to film) that the camera 'objectifies' women as the lens is aligned through a patriarchal perspective, adopting a conscious or unconscious male perspective.