Male Gaze

[andrewducker]

Pretty girl straps ultra-tiny camera to her butt to see what people behind her are doing.

Discovers that the answer is mostly "staring at her butt".

Comments

[asim.livejournal.com]

And the ass-hattery in the YouTube comments...DAMN.

Thanks for this. It's eye-opening, in many ways. And matches my experiences as a guy who's been a belly dancer. There's been some interesting and depressing observations by myself around guys watching my fellow dancers, esp. when I'm dressed in "civilian" garb and they're in costume.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

If I sometimes (hah) catch myself ogling a woman, I'll look around. If she's conventionally beautiful, just about every other man in sight will be looking at her.

I used to think it would be a neat photography project to take street snapshots of men looking at women.

[ajr.livejournal.com]

People are staring at her butt because she's got a camera stuck to it. Footage looks like it comes from a GoPro HD Hero, and those things aren't that small - 42mm x 60mm x 30mm. So while it's true that people are "staring at her butt", it's probably more accurate to say they're "staring at the camera attached to her butt". That's certainly what the girl at 1:15 is doing, for example.

Granted, they're making a serious point about the objectification of women, but that video is not quite as real as it's made out to be.

[andrewducker]

The camera looked almost unnoticable when they pointed the mirror at it. Idon't think you'd see it unless you were already close and staring.

[ajr.livejournal.com]

The main reason you can't see anything in that shot is because it's very dark. The camera will be bulky and noticeable, but they used the low-lighting to disguise it.

As I say, it looks like the camera used was a GoPro HD Hero. It would be impossible to put one in that place entirely unnoticed. At worst, it'll look like you've shat your pants, and even at best there will be a clear lump where the camera is.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

This was my first thought.

My second was "how long was she walking around to get that footage".

Mind you, I often sit back and watch the guys watching the gals. I'm not in any sense trying to deny the reality of the phenomena.

[marrog.livejournal.com]

I think, from the expressions, that some of them might just be looking thinking "...Is that a camera?"

Although I guess they had to look in the first place to have cause to notice that, though.

[andrewducker]

Yeah - when we saw it in the reflection I had to stare really hard to see any sign of it.

[nameandnature]

Apparently, even Jesus looks at women's bottoms (1:54). So it can't be a sin, which is a relief.

From the mirror shot, it's obvious there's something odd about the back of her jeans, so some of the close in shots may be people looking at that. Needs better experimental technique to eliminate observer effects.

But really, it's probably a viral marketing thing, no?

[andrewducker]

For what?

[nameandnature]

Hmmm... the modelling/TV careers of the two girls in the video? (OK, so not "viral" in that sense). Skin tight jeans? Very small video cameras?

[drainboy.livejournal.com]

That's only fair though. Girls are always checking out my sugar lumps.

[nameandnature]

I remember watching What Women Want (plot: $MALE_LEAD can hear women's thoughts) with my then girlfriend and getting to the bit where $FEMALE_LEAD is checking out $MALE_LEAD's package.

ME: OMG, girls do that?
HER: tee hee!

(I then told her it wasn't funny and gave her a ten minute lecture on objectification and the female gaze).

[Edited because I can't spell: apologies for the multiple comment notifications.]

[drainboy.livejournal.com]

Well everyone objectifies everyone else to some extent. We are all a list of qualities to someone else. Some physical, some sexual, some functional. I would definitely be one of those guys caught on bum-cam, which I don't feel bad about in general, though I'm sure I would if someone found it objectionable to a decent degree.