The Female Gaze

The female gaze: what is it? To understand, we first have to understand the male gaze. I’d say most women are familiar with the phrase, which, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means “the perspective of a notionally typical heterosexual man considered as embodied in the audience or intended audience for films and other visual media, characterized by a tendency to objectify or sexualize women.” On the flip side, this female gaze is more of a perspective. It stems from the feminist movement and shows femininity as something to embrace, regardless of the gender of who you may be looking at, and instead of reinforcing the norm of heterosexuality, it instead asks questions about it.

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If we look at the nature of most clothing ads, no matter what gender, the objectification of women is quite horrifying, but you may not notice it is due to the long-term normalization of it. Not only this, but it’s also something that could easily go over consumers' heads in the moment, but still provides something that tells the subconscious how we (women) should behave, look, and act. 

Today, we still see a major objectification with a recent American Eagle ad featuring Sydney Sweeney, which, if you watch it, makes quite literally no sense coming from a company that supposedly supports movements like body positivity, and caters to young women audiences. I wouldn’t even know what was being advertised in this photo if the words hadn’t been there, to be completely honest.

Photo credit: Gucci 2003 Summer/Spring Campaign

Similarly, we see Gucci advertising… what? I wish I knew. Maybe a perfume? Or a suit? Either way, what’s being advertised is unclear, while the position the woman and man are in insinuates a crystal clear message: women are objects, and are only sex symbols to be lusted after.

Media Spotlights

Fashion is supposed to be an outlet, a way to protest. It’s not supposed to be used against us, tell us who we can and cannot be. Excluding the major corporations, I couldn’t be more proud of how far our society has come. Not only in my personal life have I noticed this perspective changing, but also in bigger circles like A-List celebrities. Though '70s and '80s stars did change fashion and hugely impact social movements like gender equality, there has been an even bigger resurgence in recent years. For example, men wearing jewelry are not just coming back to the forefront of media, but circles like my small town.

An example of an earlier fashion icon who broke the gender barriers surrounding clothes: David Bowie. Though he did have an impact on fashion specifically in the queer and A-List community, I don’t believe the average person started taking after the way he dressed, lacking that lasting impact in the general population.

photo credit: (David Bowie) Elle/Getty Images

Pharrell Williams, not someone known as a fashion icon, proves my point that the female gaze has become increasingly more popular, though I’m not 100% why or who it started with. With jewelry from Tiffany, a classically women's branded store, and flared Louis Vuitton pants, this 2025 Met Gala look was nothing short of iconic and feminine.

Photo credit: Vogue / Getty Images

Once again, though I don’t know why this kind of outlook on fashion has been making a comeback, I will gladly accept it. I’ve noticed in my day-to-day life that the people my friends and I call “cool” are the ones who dress in a more feminine or androgynous way, especially if they’re men. Because there has been such a lack of “good” male fashion, any time I see someone dressed in something that slightly resembles this female gaze, I can point it out and I love it.

Look at this guy!! This is the kind of person I would think is cool, and an example of how an average man may be dressing for the “female gaze”. Though you may think that this is what a male manipulator would wear… well… maybe sometimes it is. But hey! It is a fire fit, and you simply can’t tell me otherwise.

Photo credit: Luis on Pinterest

An Inquiry for the Reader

For a more personal story, I’ve recently gotten into my first long-term relationship and have had a weird realization that inspired me to write this piece. Although I haven’t changed who I am at my core, I’ve changed how I present myself to others. Instead of feeling like I “don’t need to impress” anyone, I have instead embraced my femininity at its finest. I wonder if this has something to do with the female vs male gaze, and I feel like it does, but I can’t quite put my finger on how. 

I always thought that when I got a boyfriend, I would just want to wear sweatshirts and sweatpants everywhere because it didn’t matter anymore, right? I would have gotten what I wanted: love. But instead, I find myself using any excuse to dress nice, in clothes I love. I love the color pink more than ever, and I try to wear my hair down as much as possible, embracing the little girl in me with kitten heels and skirts as well. Maybe a connection to the female gaze has to do with the fact that I have an opportunity to safely feel like a kid again without being scared of being sexualized or feeling like I have to be sexual to get a man to look at me. I wish for everyone to be able to have that safety and be able to express themselves freely in their wardrobe.