Misogyny and RAPE and the violence of the Male Gaze

Although I agree that Dog Day Afternoon was a very good movie, I was really concerned with its portrayal of women. It seemed as if the stereotypical traits of the women were exaggerated to the point where it was almost absurd. The director may have wanted it to be satirical, but I didn't laugh when the lead teller was getting her five seconds of fame on tv nor did I laugh when Sonny's wife and mother were blamed as a scapegoat for his social deviance. Why is it that women always carry the burden of responsibility? We are still victims of the male gaze, even after so much feminist discourse.

I was reading this article in the Daily News about a devout Muslim woman who attempted to murder her liberal husband for forcing her to adopt Western customs. This being the main plot, a spin was placed on the article that disturbed me. Staff writers Rocco Parascandola and John Lauinger described the woman as "pretty and petite" and "soft spoken and lowkey," yet in such a condescending tone. They specifically point out things that would appeal to a man: her being traditional and subservient, wearing sexy skirts for her husband, her straddling him, her eating pork. They portray her as the victimized woman, almost sickeningly so, and it reminds me of a rape narrative, where the man gets off on overpowering the woman and forcing her into submission.

Of course, if we step back from the article, this is most likely not the story. She probably was just some crazy lady who was indoctrinated by an extreme reading of her religion. Yet why is it that the woman is continuously sexualized by the writers? Isn't this the one thing she would have least wanted in her portrayal? The lack of respect for the woman's voice is astonishing. Reading the comments, I didn't see a single instance of someone standing up for her image. Isn;t that the issue at hand?

What do you think? HERE'S THE LINK