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The influence of social media on our society today
The effect of social media on our society
How gender stereotypes shape the way women and men behave
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INTRODUCTION
We live in a world where society has defined masculine and famine characteristics and features that have influenced our culture. Men are seen as:
• Strong
• Powerful
• Aggressive
• Fearless
• Outspoken
• Tough
• Demanding
Whereas females are known to be:
• Soft
• Warming
• Caring
• Weak
• Fearful
• Quiet
• Powerless
Being tough and aggressive does not make you man enough because in today’s world, we have men who are exactly the opposite of society’s definition of masculine. I chose this topic because I feel I can have more information and resources to write this document set. As I was thinking about this work, I began asking myself questions- why does society expect men to act and behave autonomously and be in control and if they are not what society expects, they call them names such as gay, weak, timid or coward? Masculinity has affected every aspect of our lives including sports. There is a cliché that football is a game for “men” and therefore, if I am a football player, I have to be strong, aggressive and defensive. The media constantly shows videos and movies that depict strong and aggressive men as heroes and they forget that, encouraging male empowerment is another way of encouraging patriarchy. Some men also argues that, they are tough and aggressive by nature. They claim men produce testosterone which is a link to the violent lifestyle of men. I decided to look into these misconceptions and find out how true these could be so I read other literature that could be compared to my research.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
I started gathering information by watching movies that are much centered on masculinity and patriarchy and I also made a general search on masculinity. I watched documentaries and televisio...
... middle of paper ...
...elation to violence and aggressiveness.
Works Cited
“A History Of Violence." Dir. David Cronenberg. Perf. Viggo Mortensen. 2005. Movie.
Archer, J. "Male Violence." 1994. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
Cristene, Chelsea. "The NFL and Domestic Violence." 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014.
Mims, Christopher. "Strange But True: Testosterone Alone Does Not Cause Violence." Scientific American (2007): 8. Journal.
OnMilw. OnMadison. 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 Feb. 2014.
Oppliger, Patrice. "Wrestling and Hyper-Masculinity." Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2003. Book.
Renzetti, Claire M. and Raquel Kennedy Bergen. "Violence Against Women." Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Book.
"Summary of Michael Vick Dogfighting Case." 14 Aug. 2009. Web. 05 May 2014.
"Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinityy." Perf. Jackson Katz and Jeremy Earp. 1999. Film.
Lee, Terry. "Virtual Violence in Fight Club: This is What Transformation of Masculine Ego Feels Like." Journal Of American & Comparative Cultures 25.3/4 (2002): 418-423. Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
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.
The documentary demonstrates the connection between violence and social standards of masculinity by showing how masculinity is portrayed in the media. Media, as stated in the documentary,
Masculinity is described as possession of attributes considered typical of a man. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine character with cultural idealism and emphasis that connects masculinity to competitiveness, toughness, and women subordination. Masculinity hegemonic is the enforcement of male dominion over a society. Masculine ideology dates back to the time of agrarian and the industrial revolution in Europe when survival compelled men to leave their homesteads to work in industries to earn a living for their families while women remained at home to take care of family affairs (Good and Sherrod 210). Women did not work in industries then because industrial labor was considered too physical beyond their capacity. This led to definition of roles which placated the position of men in a society while condemning women as mere subordinates who cannot do without men. The critics of gender stereotypes in America describe the following five hegemonic features of masculinity: frontiersman ship, heterosexuality, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, and physical force and control (Trujillo 4). The advent of the 20th century led to sweeping changes in American masculinity.
2.) National Research Council. Understanding Violence Against Women, Washington, DC: National Academy of Press. 1996.
break the stereotypes placed on them by showing characteristics of masculinity in the work place
Masculinity is a subject that has been debated in our society for quite some time. Many wonder what it means to be masculine, as it is difficult to define this one –sided term. Pairing this already controversial term with “feminist studies” can bring about some thought - provoking conversation. Feminist studies of men have been around for many years with regards to the feminist movement. It seeks to create gradual improvements to society through its main principle of modifying the ways in which everyone views what it means to be a man. Feminist studies of men bring forth the discussion of hegemonic masculinity; how this contributes to the gender hierarchy, the radicalized glass escalator and ultimately the faults of this theory.
Tjaden, P., Thoennes, N. (2000b). Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
MASCULINITY. In this article Watzlawik (2009) examines what elements go into gender constructs and what factors cause masculinity and femininity within ourselves. Thought the article three definitions are explored and examined for pros and cons. The first definition implies “A feminine woman is one who is, and strives to be, attractive to men, and a masculine man is one who is attractive
Over time, the image of men has changed. This is due mostly to the relaxation of rigid stereotypical roles of the two genders. In different pieces of literature, however, men have been presented as the traditional dominate figure, the provider and rule maker or non-traditional figure that is almost useless and unimportant unless needed for sexual intercourse. This dramatic difference can either perpetuate the already existing stereotype or challenge it. Regardless of the differences, both seem to put men into a negative connotation.
Hegemonic masculinity surfaced as a critique for sex role theory, stating that masculinity may vary depending on ones socialization. This idea became more evident once women entered the workforce, as men felt emasculated after what was once solely a male-based aspect of daily life, was now open to women. As the world continues to develop so do gender roles. A major aspect of sports is the clearly defined gender order, which governs the behaviours of both men and women as a means of preserving patriarch and heterosexuality. This order is instilled in boys from a young age in the hopes that they follow these strict societal norms expected from them. To help preserve this thinking, institutions continuously attempt to better male athletes by focusing their attention on the male population as oppose to splitting this attention on both male and female
This is a sociological theory, famously explored by Messerschmidt in 1993, states that men with high masculinity are prone to violent altercations. The masculine male gender role promotes the stereotypical characteristics of physical strength, ‘toughness’, aggressiveness, dominance and the willingness to resort to violence to resolve conflict. This identity is socially constructed within society and learned through a socialisation process that represents the ideologies of masculinity. Unknowingly, this encourages males, from an early age, to be violent in order to be seen as a ‘man.’ Men are taught from a young age, as stated by Sutherland, to be “rough and tough”, suggesting violence is natural and acceptable form of behaviour in men.
Scott, Derek. “The Effect of Video Games on Feelings of Aggression.” The Journal of Psychology 129.2
The things that the poor in the program cannot achieve also forms our description of being poor. The definition of what it is to be male has also received a great deal of influence from movies and TV programs. Young boys develop the concept of a man form movies and so is the influence over other groups. In most cases, being male is associated with violence, masculinity, financial independence and aggression.
Sex and gender are attributes to our identity. Sex describes the physical and biological factors we are born with, for example male or female genitalia, as quoted from blackadder “A boy without a winkle is a girl” (Elton and Curtis 1998). Whether we have oestrogen or testosterone hormones also tells us if we are man or woman. Gender however is in relation to stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, and expectations of what characteristics men or women should portray. Anyone given the opportunity to describe men, they would say words like dominant, non emotional, macho, aggressive, and to be the provider and protector of his family. This essay sets out to examine if masculinity is socially constructed and to do this the theories of gender, media, historical societies and even sexuality will be analysed throughout.