The Panopticon and Feminist Theory

While recently learning of the concept of Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon and Foucoult's take on how this works for the general society I couldn't help but make connections to how women are treated in our society specifically. The idea is that in a prison shaped like a circle with prisons along the border and a guard in the middle we eventually develop a greater sense of being watched and thus are likely to behave better. We also would develop a habit of regulating each other and making sure no one gets out of line. We do that in our society as well, by criticizing the choice of cars others own or the choice of garden decorations displayed in front of a neighbor's home. One would argue that this supervision of each other is great because it's like a large community watch to keep anyone from committing crimes, and it keeps us all moral.

But doesn't it also work to oppress us? Specifically, doesn't it work to oppress women? (It works to oppress many other groups as well, but women's issues is the area I've put the most thought in.) Don't we have a problem in which we regulate the way we all think of women by judging their appearances, making sure they're aware of what we think of their various actions such as the kind of sex life they lead or the way they dress? At this point, we're monitoring the behavior of another person in such a way that we are not keeping them from committing crimes, but rather we are limiting their freedom by making them feel as though they could be outcasted if they did not become submissive quickly and readily enough. A woman might not date a certain person because of what her friends and family will think of her. A woman might not wear certain kinds of clothes because she's afraid she'll be branded a whore. A women will be afraid to voice opinions in an assertive way because others will likely brand her a loud-mouthed b-word. I believe there simply comes a point where society monitors itself far too closely so that it becomes unhealthy. It is a neighbor's business if the person next door is fighting roosters illegally, but it is not their business if a single woman has a man over at two in the morning. It's unhealthy to monitor each other in such a way that we all end up feeling like we have to follow rigid rules in order to be accepted.