#FemaleGaze

[crystalheart11]

[gagarinpanda]

https://vanessabeecroft.com/PERFORMANCE

[iheardyoureafreaktoo]

More men in skirts please I beg you

[leandoer2007]

🥀🥩🩸🖍

[mjib8]

[arthistoriansdiary]

Olympia

Édouard Manet, Olympia (1863). Oil on canvas, 130.5 cm x 190 cm. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Édouard Manet's Olympia, painted in 1863, stands as a pivotal work in the history of art, not only for its radical departure from traditional representations of the female nude but also for its confrontation with societal norms and the role of women within them. This analysis explores Olympia in depth, highlighting its significance and the controversy it sparked upon its debut.

Olympia and the Challenge to Convention: Manet's Olympia depicts a nude woman, reclining, staring directly at the viewer with a confrontational gaze. Unlike the passive, idealized nudes of earlier artworks, Olympia's direct gaze and the presence of a black cat at her feet were seen as shocking. Her hand firmly covers her sexuality, not in a gesture of modesty, but as a display of control and autonomy. This portrayal was a stark contrast to the accepted depictions of female nudes as objects of male desire.

Comparison with Titian's Venus of Urbino: To fully appreciate Manet's revolutionary approach, one must consider Titian's Venus of Urbino (1534), a work that Manet referenced in Olympia. Titian's Venus, also reclining nude, engages the viewer with a softer gaze, her hand passively resting near her pelvis, surrounded by symbols of marital fidelity and domesticity. Unlike Olympia, Venus's environment and demeanour suggest an invitation rather than a confrontation. The comparison highlights Manet's departure from portraying the female subject as an object of desire to a figure of power and defiance.

The Name 'Olympia' and Its Implications: The name 'Olympia' itself was loaded with connotations. In the Paris of Manet's time, 'Olympia' was a name often associated with prostitutes, adding another layer of scandal to the painting's reception. This choice of name was not accidental; it was a deliberate commentary on the commodification of women's bodies and the blurred lines between respectability and sexuality in 19th-century society. By naming his subject 'Olympia', Manet directly challenged the viewer to confront their preconceptions and the societal norms dictating the representation and treatment of women.

Controversy and Legacy: Upon its exhibition, Olympia was met with outrage and ridicule, criticized for its "vulgar" subject matter and "unfinished" style. However, this criticism failed to recognize the depth of Manet's critique of societal and artistic norms. Today, Olympia is celebrated for its bold defiance of traditional art, its pivotal role in the development of modern art, and its complex commentary on gender, power, and the gaze.

Olympia's Glance: A 19th-Century Rebellion? In light of Olympia's unflinching gaze and assertive posture, how do you interpret her representation in the context of 19th-century societal expectations of women?

[pearlsofsilk]

Diphylleia grayi 

After it flowers, the skeleton flower bears dark blue-purple fruit with a white powdery coating. The Japanese plant is known to have petals that become transparent when in contact with water, giving it its common name. Once it is dry, the petals return to white.

[amodernfemalegaze]

today, i burnt my oatmeal, but i am still deserving of love. today, i didn't unpack any boxes, but i am still deserving of love. today, i didn't do my skincare or take off my mascara, but i am still deserving of love. today, i just survived, swallowed whole by my couch. today, i am still deserving of love.

[gagarinpanda]

Miru Kim - Naked City Spleen

[femal3gazezine]

fun Fe-Male Gaze tip! visit the blog on a laptop or computer! it'll look VERY different... ;)

[leandoer2007]

her

[quintential]

A Piece On Cutting My Hair Off

Because hair means everything and people treat you different and you internalize more than you think

6 months ago, I cut my beatiful layered hazelnut chest length hair into a pixie cut. I am sporting a quisi-mullet at the moment.

My hair was my protection. It had grown with me through the worst parts of my life. Every night I would admire it's length as I lovingly braided it down by back into a single plait.

When I was 18, trying to find my identity as a biracial tall woman and in India my friend told me to take my sunglasses off to confront the stares. I gave them away and felt free. My hair was my next protection. such a good one it is. whisk it off your shoulder if you don't want anything to do with someone. pull it back to get in the zone. hide your face behind those lovely strands, they don't have to look at you and you can't see them.

So on one hot summers night in Minnesota I decided that I would rid myself of it to see how I would fare.

Everyday I miss my long hair. My shield. And such a shield it was. i feel raw. naked. where is my immediate male attention, validation? Where is my justification for existence?

I don't know about you. But me, I see you and I see me from your eyes. I crave the male energy because we are told this is the ultimate gift. the prize. you get to be seen.

Take away my hair and I do not get this anymore. I am left with myself and my own power and I cannot hide behind a shield of hair no longer.

I am powerful. But I'm also decidedly there. I am responsible for my actions. Only me here now.

It's hard to know how to live for yourself and only see once. Maybe impossible. What do you think?

[starcookandlover]

Raspberry walnut delight

- 2 tablespoons of walnut oil

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 2 tablespoons of raspberry vinegar

- Salt and pepper

Mix it all & love.

[pearlsofsilk]

[amodernfemalegaze]

if my body is a battleground how will i know when i have won/ does a battle within yourself ever end/ i am a pacifist until it comes to my body/ this skin had been ripped apart/ divided/ shrunken/ and starved/

i am sorry, body, i am sorry.

[coloursofchelsea]

rose coloured glasses