...Our American view of masculinity has been constructed by the media and perpetuated through dominance. These ideas are instilled in us at such a young age, which is why we see adolescent boys act this way. We are socialized to feel pressure to conform to gender norms because we are taught to insult or degrade those who are different. The video “Tough Guise” was great to watch after reading this article because they are directly related. The video just shows how these stigmas aren’t just present in junior high but to the male population as a whole. The article also argues that the word fag is used to discipline young boys who are not being masculine enough. For example if a boy is acting too weak or wants to talk about feelings, or anything for that matter, that can be seen as feminine actions, the boy is then called a fag so that he knows he is being feminine and he needs to “man up.” The boys are being raised with the idea that the norm is for a man to be manly and a women to be feminine, but to act any other way is wrong. This is why they use the word fag to make sure that they are all acting manly enough, and if someone isn’t acting manly enough then they are called a fag to make sure that they correct there behavior. The argument that I found the most convincing is the one where fag is used as discipline for not being manly enough. The most convincing argument or idea Pascoe brought up was the hot potato theory. He explains that when a boy is called a fag he quickly turns...
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...Hegemonic masculinity is the ideal form of masculinity. According to R.W Connell and James Messeschmidt the concept hegemonic masculinity requires comprehensive re-examination (Connell and Messeschmidt, p.830) because hegemonic masculinity as a concept does not refer to all men. To speak of masculinities is to speak about gender relations. Masculinities concern the position of men in a gender order in terms of hierarchy. Hegemonic masculinity serves not to empower men but celebrates a particular form of masculinity exalted by the most privileged in society. Conell and Messeschmidt suggest that there is a gender hierarchy amongst men in which particular groups of men are considered in subordination to others. The authours concept of hegemonic masculinity provides a more dynamic perspective of the existing power structures and subordination. It takes into account a wide array of sociopolitical/socioeconomic factors and cultural groups in consideration rather than approaching hegemonic masculinity in terms of binary absolutes. They also lay out the problems with granting superiority to an ideal form of masculinity which is unattainable by most men and excludes women. Drawing on empirical research and the history of hegemonic masculinity concept, this article examines the complex ways in which hegemonic masculinity is used to legitimize the power structures put in place in a patriarchy society. In patriarchy societies, people with hegemonic masculine qualities such as white...
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...about this topic, I came up with three problem areas for the male sex. While males face a plethora of issues, we mostly face three major criticisms. Males are criticized for their physical appearance, for their masculinity, and whether or not they choose to keep up with the current fashion trends. The physical appearance of a man is judged on so many things. Allow me to name just a few of the main aspects of a man’s appearance that are criticized. Our height is a big problem. Society tells guys that if they are not 5’10” or taller that they are short. This leads to people...
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...THE RELIGION OF MASCULINITY - Why Men Hate Church CBN.com -- Cliff is a man’s man. On the job he’s known as a go-getter and a very hard worker. He’s a good provider who loves his wife and kids. He’s well respected by his neighbors. Cliff drives a humongous four-wheel-drive pickup. He loves the outdoors and takes every opportunity for a little hunting and fishing. He enjoys a cold beer and a dirty joke. He does not go to church. Ask him why he doesn’t go to church, and he’ll offer up words like boring, irrelevant, and hypocrite. But the real reason Cliff doesn’t go to church is that he’s already practicing another religion. That religion is masculinity. The ideology of masculinity has replaced Christianity as the true religion of men. We live in a society with a female religion and a male religion: Christianity, of various sorts, for women and non-masculine men; and masculinity . . . for men. Cliff practices his religion with a single-mindedness the Pharisees would envy. His work, his hobbies, his entertainment, his follies, his addictions, everything he does is designed to prove to the world he is a man. His religion also demands that he avoid anything that might call his manhood into question. This includes church, because Cliff believes deep in his heart that church is something for women and children, not men. Cliff is not alone. Men have believed this for centuries. In the 1800s, Charles Spurgeon said, “There has got abroad a notion, somehow, that if you become...
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...everything on the news being about feminism people often forget that men also have problems. This leads me to say that one of the main troubles that young men have today is how society defines masculinity. Society plays a huge role in a young man’s life due to all the social media outputs so how all these outputs portray masculinity is a huge problem for the young men of today. To begin with, the way society portrays masculinity is in a sort of fashion that oppresses young men by not only making young men act like emotionless robots they are also judged in the material that they study and read. A good example of this is how society used the cowboy to portray a “Man” (source 1) what today’s society expects from young men is a person who will be tough all the time and do all the hard work with no complaining but clearly that is nothing how a cowboy’s life really is as a true cowboy are mostly all the time caring people who work with animals and care for them (source 3) so not only is society keeping young men from expressing themselves they are giving false portrayals of true manhood....
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...Defining Masculinity Masculinity is what it means to be a man which I think is not such a simple thing” (Grey Beyer) Being a man or a woman is the biological sex of a person, it is a descriptive biological concept. It is a physical and bodily nature but being masculine or feminine includes a mix of behaviours, characteristics and beliefs. Our society usually associates masculine traits with a boy or man and feminine traits with a girl or woman. Our cultures teaches men and women to be completely the opposite of each other. Pezzote (2008) tries to explains that when people refer what a ‘real man’ is in the everyday sense they actually combine four things together. • Biological sex ( Male and female reproductive organs) • Gender expression (How gender is expressed whether as masculine or feminine) • Gender identity ( The inner sense of being a man or woman) • Sexual orientation ( Straight or gay) When we combine these four categories it creates the perception that a biological male, masculine and hetereosexual and who identifies himself as a man is the norm to which all the other types of men should aim. Different types of masculinities Just like in societies...
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...MASCULINITY: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A VISUAL ARTIFACT Visual Culture Essay 2 Module 2 Wessel Viljoen 090029 Genieve Eloff Thursday 14h00 Word Count = 860 TABLE OF CONTENT Pages LIST OF FIGURES…………….....……………………………………………iii 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………..1 1.1 What is Musculinism…………………………..………………………..1 1.2 Branded Masculinity…………………………………………………….1 2. MASCULINISM AND ADVERTISING………………………………………...2 3. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………..3 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………...4 LIST OF FIGURES Page Fig 1 Old Spice, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, 2010. ………………….2 INTRODUCTION 1.1 What is masculinism? Masculinity is a word that describes an idea generated by the media of what it entails to be a man. According to Cohen(2001:5) “a gender is formed by shared beliefs or models of gender that majority of society accepts as appropriate”. Gender ideals are socially constructed in specific historical and cultural context and changes over time and location. As identified by Brannon (1976) being a hegemonic masculine male entails four main themes: (i) No Sissy Stuff: men must never resemble women or display stereotypical characteristics of a woman. Kimmel (2001:35) suggests that “Homophobia is a centralised principle of our cultural definition of manhood.” (ii) The Big Wheel: the ability of real men to obtain wealth, fame, success and status. Typically determined by occupation. (iii) The Sturdy Oak: manliness...
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...In the Dominican culture, there is a positive correlation between masculinity and machismo, and one begins to see the potentially harmful side effect that comes with men having these such high ideals of masculinity. The exaggeration of masculinity makes men feel powerful and often causes them to feel superior to women and other men in society. Across different cultures, masculinity is socially constructed; people in such societies are the ones that tell men how to act according to societal norms. Society sets attributes and roles for men to follow, and a person is judged depending on how far they deviate from the typical definition of masculinity. One of the traits that comes with masculinity is being independent, and having the ability to exercise power. Males believe that they are able to “assert their masculinity through work” (Nancy Lopez 189). Since men grow up...
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...Masculinity in Hip Hop Introduction In their discourses on the same, Frith and McRobbie (1990) tackle the issue of sexuality in popular culture. As they tackle this issue, the authors focus specifically on the issue of masculinity as depicted in imagery, songs, videos, and concert tours. In the course of their work, Frith and McRobbie (1990: 374) observed a prevalent trend, which they referred to as ‘cock rock’ in their initial scholarly account. This was the reference to the dominant pattern of masculine chest-thumping as well as the aggressive and explicit portrayal of male sexuality. Later scholars also used the term hegemonic masculinity to sustain this viewpoint. Besides hegemonic masculinity, Frith and McRobbie (1990: 375) identify ‘the soft sentimentalist’ as another form of masculine sexuality, essentially a subtle evolution of the former. Sentimental masculinity appeals more to female vanity and the need for affection. The sentimentalist is charismatic and charming full of sensual flirtation aimed at luring the superficial audience. Critical observation indicates that both forms of masculine sexuality are still present in the world of Hip Hop today. In a detailed overview on the same, this paper tackles the issue of hegemonic and sentimental masculinity as evidenced in the world of Hip Hop today and the pervasive trend of aggression and sexuality in popular culture. Sexuality in Popular Culture The issue of sexuality continues to dominate the world of popular...
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...This film represents and analyzes all understanding of the concept associated with masculinity. The main idea of this film is "What does it mean to be a man in America? » In every culture, it is very important to be a man. The concept of a man or masculinity is manifestation of strong, domineering, powerful character. Coach Ehrmann says that masculinity can be divided into three categories such as athletic ability, economic success and sexual conquest. The division into masculinity and femininity has been going on since childhood and parents take a big part in this, for example, many boys in their childhood hear "stop crying" or "stop acting like a girl." By these phrases, one can understand that weakness and excessive emotionality are not...
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...Physical strength, and mental strength are two different types of masculinity, but one type of those types of masculinity alone does not make a man truly masculine. What makes a man truly masculine, is being able to find a balance in between physical and mental strength. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Banquo, and Macduff all exemplify different types of masculinity, but only Macduff is truly masculine, because he exemplifies both physical and mental strength, and is able to find a balance between the two of them. Macbeth and Banquo both exemplify masculine traits, but they never find a balance in between physical and mental strength, like Macduff does. Macbeth is physically strong, but he is unable to find mental strength,...
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...Masculinity in ‘Death of a Salesman’ In Arthur Miller’s play ‘Death of a Salesman’, masculinity, and indeed the characters’ perceptions of it, is a key theme. Willy Loman is the patriarch of his family, and as was the norm at the time, he feels he alone has to provide for his family. In the 1950’s the traditional version of the ‘American Dream’ was being altered by newfound consumerism, and therefore Willy is caught between two worlds, unable to provide for his family as well as he would like. Therefore, Willy feels he doesn’t live up to what he should be doing as a man. Throughout the play, Willy demonstrates the intense social pressures felt by men during this time. At the beginning of the play, Willy’s career as a salesman is coming to a bitter end. With his mind and body deteriorating from age and years of disappointment, Willy is in denial of his continued failure which he has been attempting to cover up for many years, for instance when he vastly exaggerates how much he made on his trip in his first flashback, initially claiming to have made “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston”, before conceding that he actually only made “roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip”. In this instance, and indeed throughout the play, Willy is trying to preserve his waning sense of masculinity, which has taken a devastating blow at the hands of drastic economic changes in the 1950’s. With the rise of catalogues and shopping malls, success has come to...
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...Masculinity is what separates a man from a woman. Masculinity can be defined through the characteristics in which society believes is “manly”. For example, masculinity can be shown through dominance, strength, or the depth of your voice. Masculinity itself is difficult to define. Some traits can be considered both masculine and feminine, or it can pertain to a homosexual. For instance, a homosexual may have masculine traits, but considered as majority feminine. There are many forms of masculinity. It can differ by religion, class, or other social factors. Cultural notions are shaped by what society believes men and women should and shouldn’t do. A man could be masculine but engage in feminine acts, such as crying over a sick loved one. Today...
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...In the novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison chooses to explore the idea of masculinity hand in hand with the idea of maturity using Milkman as the prime example of how masculinity does not equal maturity. In the first section of the novel, Milkman uses his gender to his advantage, flaunting the type of masculinity that he has. He sees himself as an ultimate male, one who fulfills this idea of masculinity with drinking and girls. While Milkman does not necessarily see himself as attractive, when he is considering getting married, he believes “There were lots of women around, and he was a very eligible bachelor..” This reinforced his satisfaction with the level that his masculinity was at, but it also reinforced his maturity level. The way that...
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...After being with a man for the first time he says, “I would be tortured till madness came, in which I would lose my manhood” (Baldwin, 9). In David’s head, masculinity comes with being the perfect man society has created and that doesn’t include homosexuality. He explains, “I wanted children…my manhood unquestioned, watching my women put my children to bed” (Baldwin, 104). David believes that the only way to go through life without having people questioning his masculinity is to be wed to a women and have a family. He is struggling to understand how he can be himself and still keep his masculinity. While struggling to find himself, David is also unable to see that he can maintain his masculinity and still be true to himself. While with Giovanni...
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