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Masculinity Issues

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I am writing to you in response to a magazine editorial asking readers to discuss their opinions on the greatest challenges facing their particular gender group. In thinking 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 …show more content…
However, the basis can be anything from our physical appearance to how we act. Generally, if a guy is strong he is seen to be more masculine than other men are. The same generalization can be made for men who have full beards and facial hair. However, facial hair has a bit of a catch associated with it making it a complicated matter. If a guy is clean-shaven, but has sharp facial features, he may be seen as professionally masculine. If a man has a neatly trimmed beard and moustache, he may be seen as just regular man as opposed to being seen as more masculine or not. The men that have untrimmed beards that do not appear to be kept are occasionally put down by society and considered dirty. The masculinity of man is also determined by what kind of sports a guy plays. If he is in a dangerous sport, such as American Football or Rugby, he is possible glorified and even more so if he is great performer in the sport. On the contrary, if a male is gay or bisexual he is considered less masculine because he is seen as more feminine. Never mind the guys who have great features and builds, are active in sports, and are gay or bi. Those men are definitely feminine and not masculine at all. They should just be forgotten about, as they are obviously not “male.” However, do you know what is definitely masculine? Current fashion …show more content…
Men’s fashion continues to get weirder and odder as we evolve as a society. Not that long ago gauged earrings made their appearance in the public. What a sight that was, and still is, to see regular people roaming around with giant holes in their ears; some of them being large enough to fit a giant novelty pencil through. As we have grown up and changed, society has decided that men should once again grow their hair out. This led to guys using hair products to get their hair to go up over the top of the heads to the back. This, in turn, led to guys figuring out how to tie their hair up with elastic bands if it was long enough to do so. The entire process of males growing out their hair looks ridiculous on them. When guys put up their hair, their heads become deserted islands with only a little deformed palm tree on the whole island. Their hair becomes more of something to make fun of than something is considered fashionable. What makes it worse is when guys try to mimic lumberjacks while working on their long hair. Flannel is not for everyone and not every guy can pull it or long hair off. Men say no to such fashion, but society says, “Do it.” To top it off, society has created a new trend for men over 28. This new trend is known as the “Dad bod.” Society is drifting from wanting guys to be hunky to telling them that they can be fat.

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