Masculinity

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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.
Let’s start with a negative example of masculinity that promotes it in all the wrong ways. In the color purple Mister is a great example of what men should not be but seem to be encouraged to do. He makes the money; he is the leader of the house; yet he abuses his wife; he treats her as nothing but a maid; it is sort of like she is subhuman; he is a man so he is obviously better. Once he even beats her for going to check the mail (Spielberg).That is nothing like what the expectation of men should be. Too bad society’s views of men influence the views on woman, and vise versa. Men should be encouraged to be strong by choice, not taught that they must to influence a sense of power over others. They should be encouraged to help provide for a family, not that they must be the only one to provide. Taught that he is equal to a woman, not that she is some sort of subhuman.
I have recently read an article on the definitions of gender roles. There are also examples of a little boy named Jonah who from a young age always preferred pink, dresses, and dolls (Newsweek Staff). Instead of forcing baggy shorts, trucks, and football on them she made a muc...

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...re ostracized because they o not fit gender roles and societies expectations. Schools send messages to boys that deter them from wanting an education. It would be wise for society to start reevaluating the definition of masculinity and how they treat those who do not conform to those expectations.

Works Cited

Health Day. "Grades May Suffer When Teens Get Bullied." US News. 23 Aug. 2011. U.S.News & World Report. 10 Mar. 2014 .
Newsweek Staff. "Rethinking Gender: What Makes Us Male or Female?" Newsweek 20 May 2007.
Spielberg, Steven dir. The Color Purple. Perf. Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg. Warner Bros./Amblin Entertainment, 1985.
Weiss, Bari. "Camille Paglia: A Feminist Defense of Masculine Virtues." The Wall Street Journal 28 Dec. 2013.

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