WHY THAT ODD GAZE?

It is common with men. They like looking behind their female counterparts on bypassing each other on the way. Even for those who are well acquainted, you will recognize that when a man meets with a lady at any point, they can greet, talk for a while, but on departing immediately, you will notice the man staring back at the lady.

This practice is everywhere. In the streets, within working environments, in public places like institutions of learning, market settings, and surprisingly even at places of worship! However ladies also turn back, but men monopolise the game, they are quick at it.

Interestingly, in the process of fixing one’s eyes on the other’s behind, undesirable things happen; a man is knocked down by an automobile in the street or pick-pocketed at a market place because he is not looking where he is going. In work places you will see people collide with each other, because another’s attention is behind, and in the church, you will see a man suddenly stops singing the praise song, because she is preoccupied looking at the shape of this lady walking outside.

What is it that men normally gaze from the ladies’ rear? A number of males and females expressed their opinion about this seemingly sordid mentality.

Steven Orach is an engineer. He believes that, men have a high regard for the walking fashion of ladies. “A man is always electrified by the way a woman walks” he says. According to Orach, modern day women have developed various ways of balancing their bodies as they saunter around town. He adds, “Unless one is not a normal man, having a watch at a woman’s behind especially the way she shakes her buttocks, will always occur to him naturally”. Orach seems to suggest that if a guy can’t think of a woman’s shape, then he is not sexually perfect. Could this also be the reason why every City girl today wants to practice the cat-walk?

Women instigate men to glance at their rear. The way of dressing, walking and talking by most ladies of today is mainly aimed at attracting the opposite sex, explains Ibrahim Kigoma, a student of Makerere University: “since it is hard for a female person to preach the word of love to a man desired, ladies tend to capitalize on the visual impression. Therefore just like men scheme for words to use in approaching a lady for the first time, ladies find it hard to employ words, so they make good use of the body language”. Does this mean, every woman who cat-walks or whose body balance is compelling wishes to attract men? But even those who are settled in marriage are victims of the circumstance.

This habit disheartens Pastor Joel Okello; he believes it is another indication of moral decay in society. “It is a disgrace for a man to stick his eyes on a woman passing by, and above all it’s a sin” Okello warns. He explains that, mere looking behind when one departs with a comrade could not be a bad idea, as long as the mood is restrained. “But this is a bad generation” he adds. “Young men have made it a game, so they begin talking about how shapely the lady is and the like. However, the way ladies also choose to dress, and twist their bodies in walking is another terrible display.” In the pastor’s view, men who practice what he calls “mental sex” –undressing the ladies in the mind, are the ones fond of scrutinizing the bodies of ladies they by pass. He says many people commit adultery in this way but they can’t believe it.

Meanwhile this kind of behaviour may depress some ladies, others think it is quite a normal phenomenon, which in all probability suggests some thing special about the female persons:

Gloria Nabiruma, an ardent born again Christian, has no kind words for men who sharpen their eyes on a woman passing by: “in most cases those are immoral men, they are the type who can easily rape you” she says. But supposing the man’s look is a sympathetic one trying to question the clumsy dress the lady has put on, does it also make the guy immoral?

It is ladies like Susan Amodoi who think when men look at a female person; it implies that she is just beautiful and attractive. For Susan, it is rare for an ugly lady to draw attention of men. “Women have two points of attraction; the breasts and the butts. Therefore men constantly admire ladies from two sides, behind and in front, I would be happy to know that I have the qualities, if men can turn back to observe my shape” Susan believes
ENDS