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social and cultural construction of masculinity and femininity
social and cultural construction of masculinity and femininity
an essay on "being a man"
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The quintessential 21st century man is said to be one who makes six digits a year and has Fitness Magazine type biceps. Similarly the cowboy who spends long, cruel winters in the mountains slaving away for his family’s benefit and who has the burden of a discriminative society loaded on his shoulders is a man in the truest sense of the word. Each and every man is his own man; there is no perfect or ideal specimen. Society constantly asks what you think it is to be a man when they already have the unalterable answer.
Conventionally, masculinity has been measured by the capability of the male to inflict pain on other men. However, less frequently mentioned is the role that suffering plays in the same gender construction. Furthermore the person’s ability to endure great pain may be every bit as important in the assessment of masculinity as his ability to inflict it. This is evident when we see the self-loathing Ennis lashing out at a motorist shortly after Alma had upbraided his love for Jack. The roughneck subsequently beats up Ennis however the scene showcases Ennis’s attempt t...
In the essay, “The High Cost of Manliness,” writer Robert Jensen discusses the harmful effects of having male specific characteristics, such as masculinity. Jensen realizes that men’s actions and ways of living are judged based upon the characteristic of being manly. He argues that there is no valid reason to have characteristics associated with being male. Society has created the notion that masculinity is the characteristic that defines males as males.
When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they believe in order to fit in, they must comply and be part of the pack.
In Kimmel’s essay “’Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” he argues that the influence of society on masculinity is equal to or greater than biological influences on masculinity. In the essay, Kimmel uses various surveys and interviews to validate his argument. He points to peers, coaches, and family members as the people most likely to influence the development of a man’s masculinity. When a man has his manliness questioned, he immediately makes the decision never to say or do whatever caused him to be called a wimp, or unmanly. Kimmel’s argument is somewhat effective because the readers get firsthand accounts from the interviewees but the author does not provide any statistics to support his argument.
McMahan’s article “Heartland: Symbolic Displays of Aggression and Male Masculinity in Rural America” stated “how masculinity is understood, defined displayed, identified, and positioned within a social system is created by and reflected within the interactions of social group members.” This indicates that masculinity started and created by the number of people interact in the environment. Masculinity can also lead to judgements when it is performed successfully or not. Despite of masculinity being judgmental, men must play the act of their “culturally specific, symbolic behaviors if they wish to construct a masculine identity in a given culture”. In this article, it gives a study to observe masculinity in a rural setting and how the community members view masculinity. The author who works as a bartender/bouncer found that there is violence that occurred, in which “it is impossible to avoid problematic interactions with bar customers, who might well be drink or under the influence of drugs, and it became to just sit there and observe” (Heartland, qtd: pg. 543), according to Winlow, Hobbs, Lister, and Handfield (2001). This indicates that violence can lead to dramatic problems when handling masculinity in
Women in today’s society seem to be having a very difficult time expressing themselves without dealing with lots of criticism. Common values are standing in the way of women’s drive toward molding themselves into whatever they desire. Our culture has made standards about how should women look, act, and conduct themselves that greatly limits what they can do, and still gain respect. Martin S. Fiebert and Mark W. Meyer state that, “[there are] more negative [gender] stereotypes for men than for women.” This idea doesn’t seem to have a great amount of validity in our present society. Society set certain standards that men are supposed to live up to such as strength and confidence, which are more behavioral characteristics. Women seem to be more trapped than men by societies standards because they are supposed to live up to standards dealing with beauty and size, which are more physical characteristics These specific guidelines have been set by society that are sometimes unattainable for a majority of women. The women that follow the specific criteria are greatly respected, and the ones that try and be innovative usually are criticized if not disliked.
In Gail Bederman’s Manliness and Civilization, she aims to describe the concepts of manliness and masculinity at the turn of the century. Bederman explains that the concept of what it means to be a man is ever changing as a result of the ideology of the time as well as the material actions of the men. During the Progressive Era, many forces were at work that put pressure on the supremacy of white, middle class men. Some of these forces included the growing move toward empowered women, the unionization of the working class, and the move from self-employment to big, corporate business. She delves into the way that both racism and sexism were used to build up the concept of masculinity and the turn of the century discourse on civilization.
Dave Barry’s essay “Guys vs. Men” presents that the term “Man” grants more negative qualities in males, unlike the term “Guy”, which, allows guys to be free to indulge in stereotypical characteristics. Barry arouses readers by using amusing comparisons, similarities, and engaging punch lines to support his view on the distinct differences between guys and men. Barry argues the idea that man is a term that comes with responsibility, and has unwritten expectations for guys. Additionally, in correspondence he suggests the possibility that there are other ways to view males as just a “guy,” rather than being characterized as masculine. Therefore, Barry uses gender-based generalizations to capture the purpose of the passage
Connolly, A., & Steggle, M. (n.d.). EMLS 15.2 (2010-11): Masculinity and Barbarism in Titus Andronicus. [1] Eugene Giddens, Anglia Ruskin University. EMLS 15.2 (2010-11): Masculinity and Barbarism in Titus Andronicus. [1] Eugene Giddens, Anglia Ruskin University. Retrieved April 5, 2014, from http://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/15-2/giddtitu.htm
“The Other Wes Moore” By Wes Moore, reveals how two men can develop differently in the same social environment, and yet and have different intrapersonal views. The two men grew up in the same impoverished city, yet both have different experiences and views of what it means to be a man. The other Wes Moore, living his whole life in a poverty-stricken society, believes that being a man means to be powerful and unforgiving. The author, Wes Moore, living in two different worlds, views himself as a man when he becomes an exceptional leader and responsible for others lives. These concepts both tie into the constructs of masculinity in the United States where men are supposed to be protectors of society. The two Wes’ notions of manhood derive from
In the text, The High Cost of Manliness, writer Robert Jensen discusses the harmful effects of having male specific characteristics such as masculinity. It has come to his attention that men’s actions and ways of living are judged based upon the characteristic of being manly. Jenson argues that there is no valid reasoning to have characteristics associated with males. Society has created the notion that masculinity is the characteristic that defines males as males.
Men always seem to be expected to be a superhero, even when it is pretty impossible to have super abilities. That expectation may have been a bit off but they do expect them to be extremely masculine all the time. The problem with that though is that masculinity is a social concept that could be defined as what society expects men to act like which is strong, bread maker, and always rock hard emotionally. Personally my opinion of this is that it is complete nonsense. Men should be able to feel how they want, not feel cornered, and some men who agree with being a brute need to take a deep breath.
Throughout history, time has created and shaped the ideal type of men, while society chooses what it means to be a real man..The ideal real men needed to be strong, provider of his family, decision maker, economically, educationally, physically, and politically dominant (Myers). The difference between the masculinity of the 20th century and the 21st has changed significantly. The ideal men status in 1900’s was rich, educated, powerful, and successful. In today’s perspectives, men needs to be strong, tall, handsome, capable, and unemotional. The contrast of these two centuries are mostly about men’s social status and appearances. Before, it was all about what a man is capable of doing and how powerful he could be compared to today’s ideal,
In the views of Micheal Kimmel “hegemonic masculinity” is a socially constructed process where men are pressured by social norms of masculine ideals to perform behaviors of a “true man” and its influence on young male’s growth. It is the ideology that being a man with power and expressing control over women is a dominant factor of being a biological male. The structure of masculinity was developed within the 18th to 19th century, as men who owned property and provided for his family with strength related work environments was the perfect example of being a generic “American man.” Kimmel introduces Marketplace Manhood and its relation to American men. He states, “Marketplace Masculinity describes the normative definition of American masculinity.
Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity claimed a different meaning. But in all of its wandering definitions, it consistently contains opposition to a set of “others,” meaning racial and sexual minorities. (pp.45) One of the first definitions was the Marketplace Man, where capitalism revolved around his success in power, wealth, and status. A man devoted himself to his work and family came second. Although this is one of the first standing definitions, it still finds its spot in today’s definition, where masculinity consists of having a high paying job, an attractive young wife, and
Prior to the 1970s when the theme of gender issues was still quite foreign, the societal norm forced female conformity to male determined standards because “this is a man’s world” (Kerr 406). The patriarchal society painted the image of both men and women accordingly to man’s approach of societal standards that include the defining features of manhood that consist of “gentil...