The Male Gaze: Literally. Playboy Cartoon

We often hear about the "Female Gaze." It's how women view art and society from the female perspective. However, we rarely hear about the " Male Gaze" .
In this 1969 Playboy cartoon, the Male Gaze is celebrated figuratively and literally.

The present work encapsulates the perspective of a male stranger as he studies a nude woman through a window, in that it objectifies and sexualizes women. That is precisely the point here. In this case, it's not just a woman, it's a remarkable woman — a beautiful woman - an extraordinary ideal woman who is a young model with perfect sexual proportions and was cast as the epitome of feminine pulchritude. The male voyeur passerby is supposed to represent all the readers of Playboy Magazine in 1969. Yet, Playboy estimated that women made up about 20% of their readers /voyeurs as well. We have to assume that when it comes to looking at a super beautiful nude model, Playboy felt that we are all voyeurs… no matter what age or sex.
Playboy's tagline was "Entertainment for Men," and perhaps also for some women. According to this concept, showcasing super-beautiful, sexy women models was a central factor in fulfilling their branding concept. In this cartoon, the caption is mumbled by the bearded beatnik artist, which reads. “ What the hell, let him look - most of my paintings are for the man in the street anyway”
What’s funny about the cartoon is the unexpectedness of it all. An older male passerby from the street uninvitedly leans into an open ground-floor window of an artist's studio. He surprises a nude female model and then nonchalantly studies her while he puffs on a butt. Despite the startled model's reaction, it’s okay with the artist. In fact, it's the point of his work, as the artist paints pictures of beautiful women so that every man can gaze at them.

Cartoonist Richard Taylor masterfully communicates a complex narrative in a single image. A lot is going on graphically, and if you follow the lines of sight, it keeps on supporting the underlying narrative and punchline of this gag cartoon. A male voyeur stares at a nude model. The nude model stares back. While they stare at each other, the artist stares at the painting of the model; meanwhile, the same model, now in a finished painting hanging on the wall, stares back at the Artist. Everything comes full circle. Taylor's ingenious compositional devices reinforce the male point of view in this circular and perhaps endless dynamic that men like to gaze at beautiful women.
Signed upper left. R. Taylor. Board size 15 x 11.5
Published: May 1968 Playboy Magazine
Provenance: Taraba Illustration Art