This study critiques the different ways that men and women artists who depict girlhood are received and criticized by the public within Western contexts. It places emphasis on the male gaze rather than the male artist. I follow several artists from canonized art history to modern day; from painter Edgar Degas to director Maimouna Doucouré, to evaluate how they either contributed to the male gaze or directly confronted it. This research explores how male artists in traditional art historical narratives have been allowed aesthetic criticism and value in their work, while women have not. Artists like Degas, Paul Gauguin, and Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, or Balthus are allowed to remain separate from their art, so their work containing sexualized images of young girls isn’t criticized as pedophilic or inappropriate. Instead, it is often lauded for its beauty, attention to detail, and color palette. In contrast, the work of women like Sally Mann and Maimouna Doucouré has been highly criticized because of its content. Those who criticize their work would argue that they need to be removed from the platform they are being showcased on, but in the same breath defend men like Gauguin arguing that his life shouldn’t taint the beauty of the portrayed subject matter.