How does Berger describe the social presence of a man and woman?



Berger writes: According to usage and conventions which are at last being questioned but have by no means been overcome, the social presence of a woman is different in kind from that of a man. A man’s presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies.

How does Berger differentiate between the state of being naked and the state of being nude?

Berger develops this distinction. ‘To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself. A naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude.

What does Berger mean when he says every image embodies a way of seeing?

Also, rethinking that moment, we recall the corollary to Berger’s “Every image embodies a way of seeing,” and that is this: that even if a historical image embodies a historical way of seeing, our seeing of it depends upon “our own way of seeing.” Here is the premise of the analysis of culture that is now fundamental …

How does John Berger define a man’s presence in ways of seeing?





A man’s presence suggests what he is capable of doing to you or for you. His presence may be fabricated, in the sense that he pretends to be capable of what he is not. But the pretence is always towards a power which he exercises on others.

What is the main point of John Berger ways of seeing?

In “Ways of Seeing” Berger claims that the representations of men and women in visual culture entice different “gazes”, different ways in which they are looked at, with men having the legitimization of examining women, and women also examine women.

What is the term that Berger uses to describe the act of explaining away what might otherwise be evident?

Mystification is the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident.

What is important about Berger’s essay?

Like any good cultural critic, Berger makes a great point in his essay about how “publicity” (for this purpose, I’ll use advertising and publicity interchangeably) works to advance consumer capitalism and class anxieties. Berger makes the argument that publicity turns every viewer into a “future buyer.”