CNN Frets That The “Male Gaze” Might Be Coming Back

CNN had a meaty clickbait headline, which is behind a paywall I didn’t know CNN had. Times must be a wee bit tough for the network, and so they’re out here competing with the rest of us. If you are a subscriber, you can head on over to read the piece.

Here are some quotes:

Was it around the 2024 presidential election? Or since the overturn of Roe v. Wade? Maybe when men’s rights activists pushed back against #MeToo? Whatever the catalyst, a change in the political environment seemed to connect with a social change that brought back narrow, and at times constrictive, ideas of womanhood depicted in media.

The recent rise of weight loss medications coincided with social media influencers sharing ways to get smaller and no longer celebrating bodies of all sizes. Advertisements followed suit, making men’s desire once again a dominating factor in how stories are told, and how women are portrayed.

How had these discarded ideas made their way back into circulation? Didn’t we all agree we were through with them?

The culprit, I have learned, is the male gaze. It was always there, but now it has stepped back into the spotlight.

And:

The male gaze came roaring back this summer.

American Eagle –– whose partner brand Aerie has been known for marketing underwear to women with imagery that celebrated stretch marks, cellulite and a range of body sizes –– ran a controversial ad campaign starting in July. The ads sell jeans to women featuring actor Sydney Sweeney, who many men see as a sex symbol, insinuating the clothing would make men find them more attractive.

For starters, who would want to celebrate stretch marks, cellulite, and a range of body sizes”? Not women. Not honest women. Women who lie, perhaps, to themselves, to their followers, to each other, but no woman wants to be struggling with her weight or her imperfections. That’s not men’s fault. It never has been. That is the fault of nature, my friends, and the female’s desire to be gazed upon by the male. Take it from me. I know. I know what it was like to have it and what it was like to lose it.

Why do you suppose Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, Madonna, and others work so hard to stay looking young? They don’t do that for male attention, necessarily, but they do it because no woman wants to let go of it if they had it to begin with. Beauty, sex appeal, desirability. Perhaps it only impacts women who lean in the direction of narcissism, but most women in showbiz do. Why, because humans like to gaze upon beauty. We all do. Men, women. This is nothing new. It is as old as humanity itself and, in fact, is repeated across other primate species.

Then there was e.l.f. Beauty’s campaign led by a comedian infamous for domestic violence jokes and disdain of a primarily female audience. And this year saw viral content around an OnlyFans star’s attempt to break the world record for most sexual partners in one day –– a lucrative career move made even more viral by her bashing the wives and girlfriends of her sexual partners and suggesting men cheating is the fault of the women who aren’t available enough for sex.

Are we blaming this on the male gaze? I don’t know how to deliver this news to people in 2025, but men like to have sex. Imagine being responsible for sustaining the entire human race? Why do you think peacocks torment themselves just for the chance to mate with one female peacock? The desperation, the effort!

OnlyFans and the influencer hookers are taking advantage of whatever that just was that we lived through, where men are shamed for their sexual desire, toxic masculinity, and obsession with men as predators. Try reading one of those mysteries aimed at women. They all have the exact same message: men are abusive and women are empowered. OnlyFans women are making millions and millions on this era of puritanism at the hands of feminists and other woke scolds. It’s a gold rush of sex right now, friends. That’s not the male gaze or even the fault of men. It’s called supply and demand.

“Most typically, the male gaze is about representing women in media solely to satisfy heterosexual men,” said Dr. Linda Tuncay Zayer, professor of marketing and John F. Smith, Jr. Chair in Business Administration at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago.

If you are observing women in movies, TV, fashion, social media and marketing and they don’t feel as fully materialized as their male counterparts, that is the male gaze.

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Oh, Clarice. You really need to make more of life’s fun. THAT level of puritanism has killed Hollywood. Why does anyone want to bother with a movie where the women are all empowered, sexless girl bosses? Who would want to see that? I mean, of course, perhaps 20-year-old gender studies graduates from Oberlin College, but other than that?

The male gaze, so-called, is responsible for some of the hottest babes ever to grace the silver screen. Let’s go through a few, shall we?

Pam Grier:

Lucille!

Rita

Marilyn:

Raquel:

Grace Kelly:

Brigitte Bardot:

Salma:

Beatrice Dalle in Betty Blue:

Sophia Loren:

Cyd Charisse:

The article continues:

The woman’s value is reduced insofar as existing for pleasure or basically as an object,” Zayer said.

It’s Bond girls. And a long, lingering shot panning up a woman’s body in an advertisement for soda. It’s when an action movie accessory is running through explosions in tiny shorts and flowing curled hair before collapsing helplessly in the hero’s arms. And a social media star making a recipe while all dolled up and explaining her steps in a soft, sultry voice.

Yeah, Bond girls, what a drag, eh? Who wants to watch a James Bond movie without sexy women? Anyone? Not me.

Halle Berry:

One of the main reasons people go to the movies is to gaze upon gorgeous men and women. That is the truth at any time in history except this tragic one. The male gaze has contributed to some of the best films ever made. Taking it away is like taking away salt and expecting everyone to enjoy the meal. No thanks.