The Awakening of Women
Objectification is an issue that women have been facing for centuries. It has occurred as we see in Renaissance oil paintings during the 14th-17th centuries. Women have been candy for men’s eyes and have been used in paintings and photographs for only men’s pleasure. The faces of the women in the Renaissance paintings and the photo of Donna Gottschalk from 1970 show two different emotions. The women in the Renaissance paintings are shy. The photograph taken at an LGBTQ rights parade in 1970 demonstrates a determination and confidence that women began to show in the 20th century. To this day, women are fighting a battle to hold a place in the world without being seen as just a sexual object. I believe that even though women have been represented and understood better in the 20th century, people still have a long way to go in order to end this unequal mindset. Donna Gotschalk’s photo demonstrates that the fight for women’s equality has come a long way since the paintings we saw of women from the Renaissance, but the message she was conveying still rings true fifty years later, proving that we still have work to do to achieve true equality.
In John Berger’s 1972 BBC video “Ways of Seeing”, Berger discusses the conflict between nudity and nakedness. According to him, to be naked is for oneself only and to be nude is to be seen by spectators for their pleasure. He also addressed the appearance of women and how they are identified in pictures and photographs. In the Renaissance oil paintings, the way women were positioned in the pictures, the elements and people surrounding them, and even the way they gaze at spectators or viewers leads us to the observation that women are the main focus of paintings. Therefore, it is their curse to be seen as an object. I believe the main reason was that most of the spectators or viewers were male. Men enjoy seeing naked women in paintings. Many men believe that this is the only value a woman possesses.
For the majority of human existence, we have lived in a world controlled and ruled by men. A woman’s power and talent has always limited by men. Not because they don’t have the skill level and talent to do men’s work, but because for centuries men have believed that they are superior to women. For example, a female does not get paid the same as a male. They don’t get promoted to certain positions. The photograph of Donna Gottschalk demonstrates that women are not the same as they were in the past. Women don’t want to be treated like weak, sexual objects—they want to be on an equal playing field with men. This sense of pride has gradually been awakening over time, through the women’s right’s movement, the fight for women’s suffrage, and so on. When I look at this picture, I see more than a woman holding a sign. I see a woman that has power. I see a woman who is tired of being seen or treated as an object. The confidence in her eyes is not hidden. It is a completely different appearance than of the women we saw in the “Ways of Seeing” episode. Donna doesn’t have a shy look on her face. Instead, she has a look that is fearless and determined.
I am inspired by Gottschalk’s photo. Not only for how she seems strong and what she stands for, but because the words on Donna Gottschalk’s poster hold a lot of meaning. “I am your worst fear” implies that a strong and confident woman standing up for her rights was a fear for most men during this time period. Men do not respect women enough for them to want women to hold positions of power in the world. Many men falsely believe that women are not as intelligent as men and often ignorantly say that women are too emotional to be making important decisions. Gottschalk acknowledges this prejudice by stating that her confidence regarding her equality is fearful to men, but the statement “I am your best fantasy” implies that a beautiful and confident woman fills a man’s sexual fantasy. Therefore, men want to see women in their beds, not see them as equals in the work force. Strong women are a huge threat to a man who is sexist, especially in a work environment. The smug and bold look on Gotschalk’s face would make a prejudiced man feel threatened.
In addition to the protest for women’s rights, Donna Gotschalk is also addressing the rights of the LGBTQ community. This famous photograph was taken at the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Parade. Christopher Street is the location of the Stonewall Inn, where only a year prior the Stonewall riots occurred and the gay pride movement was born. Here we began to see a fight for equality in another group of people that have suffered discrimination. As a lesbian, Donna Gotschalk faced even more discrimination than if she was simply a straight woman. The words on her sign could also be taken to mean that a gay person with equal rights is a fear to those that are homophobic. However, many men have sexual fantasies about women who like women. This simple message is acknowledging the huge hypocrisy of these people that fantasize about gay women but refuse the believe they should have equal rights. They want them to live only in their fantasies as they see them, not as free individuals in reality.
Women have been facing injustices simply because of their gender since the beginning of humanity. They are not asking for privilege. They are asking for an end to this discrimination. It doesn’t matter what country you are born, your social status, or your wealth—if you are born a woman, you immediately have less of an influence than a man. Women spend most of their lives proving that they are worthy of the same opportunities as men, while men are handed many things in life because of their gender. While women’s equality has progressed a lot in the past 50 years since Donna Gottschalk’s photo was taken, there is still work to be done to change the way that women are the seen and treated.
