A new art exhibit questions our conceptions of male beauty, and Hugo Schwyzer thinks it’s about damn time.
Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze opens today at the SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco. A remarkable art exhibit, Man as Object deliberately centers the female gaze—and puts men’s bodies on display in a way that we rarely see. (See the exhibition’s Youtube video here. Warning: some images may not be work-safe.)
Writing an initial review of the exhibit for Ms. Magazine, Georgia Platts quotes sex-positive feminist photographer Shiloh McCabe on her work photographing men. “I’m not here to objectify or harm; I’m here to nurture and document,” McCabe says. But the images themselves, which include photographs as well as sketches and paintings, are still challenging to the viewer. We don’t get to look at men as objects of desire very often, not least because so many of us have been relentlessly programmed to believe that the male body is repulsive. (I wrote about that particular issue in this column.)
There’s a lot to say about the breadth and depth of the artists represented in this exhibition, and much to reflect on in terms of subverting our traditional expectations about male and female bodies and the way they are presented. But what I find most striking about these images is the way that they subvert our assumptions about what kind of men—and what kind of male bodies—are on the receiving end of the gazes of women and gay men.
Over the last 20 years, as idealized images of male bodies have become far more common in the media, fewer and fewer people cling to the old fiction that “women aren’t visual.” As this month’s Details magazine cover story makes clear, women are looking—and they’ve got more hot bodies to look at than ever before. The impact on men’s self-esteem is clear; the rise in eating disorders and exercise addiction among young males is well-documented. Though we’re a long way from achieving the grim milestone of parity with women’s pain, there’s little doubt that guys today are much more likely to worry about their bodies’ appearance than did their fathers at the same age.
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Part of the problem, and something that Man as Object directly addresses, is that even those of us who acknowledge that women both look and lust don’t always recognize what it is that they’re lusting after. We’re conditioned to believe that most straight women long only for chiseled bodies like that of a Mark Wahlberg in his boxer briefs, or a glowering Taylor Lautner about to turn into a werewolf. Women are “allowed” to lust after six-pack abs, hairless pecs, and perfectly defined deltoids. An older generation of men might have believed that women didn’t look at all; today’s young men too often assume that women are looking, but only at one kind of man.
Among many other things, I work as a director of a modeling and management agency, Natural Models LA. We represent female models across a broad spectrum of size, from 2 to 20, though most of the women whom we’ve signed are between 12-16. The plus-size modeling business has been around for 35 years, and is both increasingly lucrative and increasingly influential within the broader beauty industry. Though it’s taken a long time, and we still have a long way to go, we’ve succeeded in creating at least some “counter-images” in the media, images that remind us that female beauty is not just found in one size or shape. The co-founder and CEO of our agency, Katie Halchishick, was recently featured in this now-iconic shot in O Magazine. Though in many ways things are “worse” for women, we are slowly getting the chance to see female bodies that deviate from the narrow ideal but which are, nonetheless, stunningly beautiful.
But we’re not “there yet” with men. There is no equivalent “plus-size” division for men. (The few fashion editorials that have featured “larger” men have used amateurs, not professional male plus-size models, who don’t really exist yet.) While agencies like ours work hard to expand the spectrum of what is considered beautiful for women, young men are reminded that if they want to be “hot,” they have little choice but to pursue a single “ripped” ideal.
Of course, we know that not every woman is attracted to young hairless men with six-packs. We also know—even many young men know—that women can be attracted to boyfriends and husbands who have soft tummies or scrawny arms. But we tend to represent that attraction as rooted in romantic connection. In other words, if a woman is turned on by her husband’s concave chest, it’s because she’s so in love with him that even his flaws become virtues. Love is blind, we say, and point to the imperfect bodies of well-loved men to prove it.
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What’s so revolutionary and refreshing about this exhibit is the way in which it invites the viewer to gaze with desire upon the imperfect bodies of men she does not know. While not every image is arousing, and different people are of course turned on by very different things, Man as Object makes the bold suggestion that male beauty comes in far more shapes, sizes, and textures than the media normally represent. Men are invited to consider the radical possibility that we can be wanted not in spite of our physical imperfections but because of them. Just as those of us who work for an end to eating disorders remind women that sexiness is not just found at a single size (or shape, or skin color, etc), Man as Object forces us to confront the reality that what makes men beautiful (and worth gazing at) is so much more complicated than we imagine.
The longing to be seen is not unique to women. (In the same way, both men and women can and do fear a penetrating, judgmental gaze.) Many guys, even ones who don’t work out or wax, long to know that their bodies are appealing. At the least, they want to know they aren’t repulsive and disgusting, which is the unspoken anxiety in so many male lives. While none of us will be found desirable by everyone, and some of us will be found desirable by only a few, we’re more fascinating, beautiful, weird and—maybe—hotter than we realize. This remarkable exhibit brings that frightening and alluring truth home.
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Main Photo: Hazel Bartram-Birchenough. Anatomic Series 1. 2010. Conte, charcoal and arcylic on canvas. 4 x 13 feet.
Second Photo: Molly Marie Nuzzo. superman. 2011. Oil on wood. 38 x 28 inches.
Final Photo: May Wilson (1905 – 1986). Untitled. 1695-1972. Collage. 10 5/8 x 7 7/8 inches. Courtesy of Pavel Zoubok Gallery.
All very well, but it would be better for men to find women lusting after them instead of images at an exhibition.
Hooking up smart had a discussion of how a woman should show desire. Problem was that the showing might generate escalation not appropriate at the time, or demonstrate neediness, or in some other way put the woman at a disadvantage.
I think HUS has a point: Guys would go for such a demonstration, some would become helplessly manipulable. But the disadavantages that might come from need to be addressed.
Looks like a beautiful exhibit! I wish I still lived in the Bay area. 🙂 Thanks for bringing attention to this, Hugo!
Personally, I’m of the opinion Schwyzer should be put in a special section of this magazine- “Total Douchebag Speaks”
maybe they can fit your comments in there too
Great article and great subject, Hugo! 🙂
I’m often doubtful about your attitude to “criticize men and idealize women” (just my 2c ;), but this piece is really about “parity”: parity in being desired (or not), objectified, being fearful of being “not enough” and, well, seeing and be seen.
Men’s bodies have always been looked at, gazed upon, and exploited to a far greater degree than women’s.
The only difference is that we never think to criticize the female gaze or analyze how it may be problematic, so we ignore the huge amount of male exploitation that happen and maintain this illusion that sexual exploitation is something that primarily happens to women.
Nothing about this exhibition is unique. These feminists rip off what gay men have already created and did way better. Their only contribution is a sense of smugness and shameless vulgarity.
Come on guys, you’re being played. Don’t be fools! Recently, Schwyzer’s developed a new rhetorical tack- he panders to us here on GMP, but read his stuff on Jezebel, and his true misandric positions shine through. Nice try, Schwyzer.
Let’s face it. What heterosexual man wants to walk around for a few hours looking at near naked men, let alone having lust? This is about the love feminists have for homosexual men.
As Della points out above, this isn’t about men–it’s about what women think and feel ABOUT men.
Which has me wondering why it’s posted here at TGMP, which is all about men rather than women.
It’s a feminist exhibit.
“What heterosexual man wants to walk around for a few hours looking at near naked men, let alone having lust?”
Well, duh. Men get to walk around and look at the women who are distracted and aroused by looking at the men. Totally target-rich environment. Total meat market. Show some imagination…. : – )
Wrong. Were that the case, you’d find hordes of single hetero men crusing male strip shows. You don’t.
“We don’t get to look at men as objects of desire very often, not least because so many of us have been relentlessly programmed to believe that the male body is repulsive.” Who is “we?” I’ve looked at men as objects of desire my whole life. When my female friends and I were growing up, most of us made it pretty clear that we were looking at men (well, boys) as objects of desire. The idea that heterosexual women don’t lust after real male bodies is bizarre, and is proof that there is still need for more genuine female voices… Read more »
A “Man as Object” exhibit in San Francisco?
What a suprise. I think I’ll pass.
Eric — If you think this show is about gayness or gay men, think again. The show is not about men at all. It’s about women, what they think, what they see, what they make as art. It is in response to the reverse; usually art is about men, what they think, see, make, find attractive. It is only in San Francisco because SOMArts Gallery gave them a grant and a space. But the show itself is national and traveling. Originally it was going to open in New York but the venue had a schedule conflict. The Kinsey Institute is… Read more »
Perhaps you are unaware that homosexuals see and find attractive the same kinds of bodies that women (hetero) find attractive. It is thus no surprise that an art Gallery in San Francisco gave audience to an exhibit of nude and near nude men.
We May Be Hotter Than We Know
…but I really doubt it.
And as the work of Mark Simpson (which has been featured at GMP) shows, it is not just ‘women and gay men’ who look at men in a desiring fashion it is straight and bisexual men too.
I will add that the Details article draws heavily on Simpson’s work without crediting him at all as well!
I will find some links to back up these points…
I gotta read this Simpson guy you keep on bringing up, QRG. He sounds very interesting!
his blog is great and he’s approachable when it comes to debating so do have a look!
I posted some links to mark Simpson’s work but they have not been moderated (yet?)
A bit odd considering one was a piece actually published at GMP. Maybe they will be soon.
In the meantime Thaddeus if you visit my blog I’ll give you some articles by him.
Frankly, I view this as too simple to consider as groundbreaking. The notions of gaze, object, objectifier, active, passive are too superficial as presented in current discourse. This newest twist simply reinforces that superficial understanding.
The link below shows better colors on this topic
http://quietgirlriot.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/man-as-object-orly/
Elissa, to address your post, it appears that people are making suppositions about what the show is about without viewing it or reading the essays (in the 196 page catalog), which I encourage you to do before dismissing it as superficial. Reading a few “catchy” lines for a press release is not going to give you what it’s all intended to be about. That’s the 30 second elevator pitch to capture attention. And groundbreaking, well, is anything really groundbreaking anymore? And do we have to be so cynical? But it is something and it is something really awesome and a… Read more »
“The longing to be seen is not unique to women. (In the same way, both men and women can and do fear a penetrating, judgmental gaze.) Many guys, even ones who don’t work out or wax, long to know that their bodies are appealing. At the least, they want to know they aren’t repulsive and disgusting, which is the unspoken anxiety in so many male lives. While none of us will be found desirable by everyone, and some of us will be found desirable by only a few, we’re more fascinating, beautiful, weird and—maybe—hotter than we realize. This remarkable exhibit… Read more »
Amen.