This chapter discusses the human body as an object of photography. Surprise, surprise, women were found as sexualized towards heterosexual men even in the Victorian age. Unfortunately, women's bodies are well accustomed to objectification.
"objectification is a term usually for the criticised advertising and publicity images as well as erotica for eroticising the female body in a way which turned women into mere objects for the male gaze."
Not only in photography, but in paintings as well, the gaze of a viewer (male) and the gaze of the object (the woman) is very similar. The surveyed female will either watch herself be viewed through a mirror, or return the gaze to the viewer. Without clothing, the female knows she is naked and bare to the elements, however she excepts the viewers gaze. The woman has thus become an object for our view and nothing more.
Paintings of Venus is a perfect example of the female gaze. Venus at her Mirror sees the viewer looking at her naked body, and she in return, gazes back through her mirror. She not only adores herself but then acknowledges our presence as viewing her as an object.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Diego_Velaquez,_Venus_at_Her_Mirror_(The_Rokeby_Venus).jpg
No only is there use of objectification, but also the representation of erotic views. In another Venus painting, we see a naked woman purely depicted for sexual viewing pleasure. In Olympia, by Edouardo Manet, Venus returns the viewer's gaze with a straight forward gaze. She acknowledges the presence of the viewer. Subtle hints also tell us she is an erotic figure. By being adorned in jewelry and shoes, she is not fully exposed, and has chosen to represent herself this way. Also, the little black kitten at the bottom of her feet represents sexual desire and femininity.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/courtesans/olympia.jpg
In the cases of photography it is not the male gaze that objectifying the object (a woman) but her gaze as well that is seen as "doubly objectifying".
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