Male Gaze in Virginity

In a recent article published by Amna Nasir, “Bleeding to live: Hymen restoration practices in Pakistan and the moral panic around women’s virginity”, the author discusses the suppression of women within the guidelines of being Pakistan. Nasir elaborates extensively on the oppression and expectations of women in regards to Chasity. As the title points out women are supposed to be virgins on their wedding day and if not will be rejected by their husbands. This idea reminded me of the concept, Male Gaze, that we discussed in class. This term can be defined by women’s appearance being altered to satisfy the male expectations and appeal to the male. When women are forced to be virgins to satisfy their male husbands, I found this correlated to the male gaze because the idea of virgin wives pleases the male. In American media, this phenomenon is seen frequently by how films or shot consistently appealing to the male viewer by making women conventionally attractive. I think that media representation can improve by not prioritizing the male gaze and instead focusing on more on the content of the film.