noun
outsider's perspective; how it looks to others
Often used adverbially as 傍目に or 傍目には to describe how a situation appears to an outside observer, contrasting with the insider's view.
傍目には幸せそうに見えるかもしれないが、実際は大変だ。
It may look happy from an outsider's perspective, but it's actually tough.
傍目にどう映るか気にしすぎると、自分らしさを失
If you worry too much about how you appear to others, you lose your individuality.
Compound of 傍 (はた, 'side; nearby') and 目 (め, 'eye'), literally 'eye from the side,' referring to how something looks to a bystander.