The male and female gaze have very different perceptions. 

The way men look at other men to see how attractive one another is sounds gay right? But when put into a different form of light a female looking at another female to see how attractive she is what comes to mind is oh she’s just checking out how pretty she is, she’s just self comparing, but never does it come off as lesbian.

 Even a guy complimenting another guy can come off as questionable but a girl complimenting another girl is normalized and being a “girls girl.” 

The question is why is it so normalized for women of all ages to compliment other women without anyone batting an eye but when it comes to men it’s weird. Despite the normal normalities this does in fact impact men because sometimes men just like women need security and self reassurance without making them come off as girly or not masculine. 

Positive encouragement between both male and female aspects is often limited. 

Both genders need positive reinforcements of all types physical, mental, and emotional as a motivational point and can deeply impact someone’s day in a matter of an instant. However female gaze is normalized because it comes off as non-possessive because men usually see women as objects especially in our generation and seemingly only gets worse. 

Men are standardized and seen as aggressive and not capable of expressing emotion and when they do people feel weird because it’s not what is spoken about. Men just like women face oppression in many ways both mentally and physically just not as badly. Women were and still are expressive and emotional compared to men focused on keeping the non-chalant front. 

The male and female gaze aren’t bad however, it’s more frowned upon for men because they aren’t seen as emotional creatures while on the other hand women are more known and represented as emotional which grants more freedom to express admiration without it coming off as weird or misunderstood. 

The male and female gaze is more than just a controversial topic with many different views and opinions; it’s a deep reflection of how culture and normalism molds the way people see each other, right now the world is very standardized physically and mentally. 

Now that’s not to say nobody has their head on straight or isn’t persuaded by peers and standardized points of views but it’s very rare in this generation. The reason why male compliments and physical motivation seem so loaded and awkward while women it comes off as encouraging is focused on the gendered ways of seeing and expressing emotions and admiration. Changing these views of male ego and patterns solely relies on us cultural shifts, having a mind of our own, and not liking something or someone just because others like it.

You’re allowed to have your own mind, you control what you like and desire. With this change it starts with awareness and recollection women and men both have their struggles but uniting as one and discussing the topic than moving away or ignoring the issue will never have a positive outcome or any change.