Internalized Male Gaze

Throughout the narrative, De Céspedes thematically explore the internalization of the male gaze by women. Toward the outset of Forbidden Notebook, Valeria sees and interacts with her daughter through patriarchal ideals of womanhood. She continually asserts that Mirella should be ashamed of herself for dating Cantoni, rebelling against the family, and pursuing a career. When Mirella dispels her mother’s fear that she is pregnant, Valeria is relieved that her daughter is depressed instead of carrying a child. Because she was taught that she “had only to trust, to obey [Valeria thinks that] the cause of Mirella’s restlessness [is] the possibility of not obeying. That’s what has changed everything, between parent and children, and even between men and women” (68). The fear of being ostracized, shamed, and reprimanded for not upholding docile standards of femininity directly impacts how Valeria judges her own...