Masculinity in itself is very diverse and varies according to each culture and each person. In China, masculinity has traditionally been very different than Western masculinity. Where Western masculinity is known for being very macho and tough, Chinese masculinity has consistently been much more feminine when compared to the Western’s. Chinese masculinity traditionally has always had a very soft aspect to it, however as China continues to change as a nation, it is slowly beginning to alter their normal definition of what it means to ‘be a man’. One of the first traditional aspects of Chinese masculinity was the concept of wen-wu. In order for one to achieve and understand the substance of masculinity, one has to have either wen or wu, or …show more content…
They are not typically sexualized, and are often thought of as “’not quite real men’ because they fail the (Western) test of masculinity” (Louie 9). Unlike the typical Western macho man, Chinese men often do not have facial hair, have very soft and delicate looking skin, slim bodies, and tend to appear very young. These qualities can relate to more of the female characteristics exhibited in many other cultures. Perhaps a reason why Chinese men tend to be softer looking is “a result and an indication of sophisticated cultural tastes in art and literature” (Law 41). This can be tied back to the traditional wen-wu masculinity of how being scholarly and well educated was highly valued. Being sexualized has never been a very prominent factor within the Chinese masculinity. The highly respected quality of having excellent self-control reiterates to men that they should control their sexual desires and urges. It once again is the very opposite of the Western idea that men cannot control themselves, and that women have to always be on the defense as a result. To exhibit that one could have the most self-control, there was the concept that during sex it was often considered a “battle with the ultimate goal being the ability to withhold an orgasm while making the other partner orgasm” (Law 7). Chinese masculinity and integrity focused more on the ability to control sexual desires rather than the person one was having sex with. This can account how up until recent times, it did not matter all that much whether or not a person was in a homosexual relationship. Nowadays, however, homosexuality is not widely accepted in China. It can be determined from all this, that masculinity lies in the capability to control oneself rather than being blatantly sexually
Traditions in Chinese culture are long-rooted and are taken very seriously from generation to generation. However, there must always be room for modern change in order for society to grow and strive across the globe. In Bound Feet and Western Dress the conflict between Chinese traditions and modern change arises. With this conflict it is important to discuss the different meanings of liberation for men and women and they way in which Chang Yu-I was able to obtain liberation throughout her life.
Chen, Jo-shui. "Empress Wu and Proto-feminist Sentiments in T'ang China." In Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China, edited by Frederick P. Brandauer and Chün-chieh Huang. 77-116. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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.
Gender equality has been an issue in the world for the past century. The contrast between men and women in China begins at home and translates into workplace expectations. In China, the expectation in the home is that men are superior to women and that she should be obliged to serve her husband. According to the Passport to China, “Confucianism is still a major factor in Chinese culture. A direct quote from the Passport to China represents this well. “The Confucian husband rules over his wife as a lord rules his people.” This essentially means that the husband is superior to the woman entirely in households that still maintain the Confucian attitudes of the past.
Li Yu's Male Mencius's Mother epitomizes the normalization of homosexuality through the characters' strict adherence to Confucian gender norms. While initially a condemnation of homosexuality citing the rebelliousness towards the divine design of heterosexuality and the complementary nature of male and female, the story instead romanticizes the self-sacrifice and devotion of the homosexual relationship of two men. The presentation of the homosexual relationship is designed to maximize the acceptance of homosexuality through the application of heterosexual components, such as the definition of a "male" and "female" to Jifang and Ruilang respectively. Jifang establishes his dominance as "male" through his taking of a wife and fathering a child, while Ruilang accepts his "female" definition through the physical transformation of castration and psychological transformation into the Confucian chaste wife and dutiful mother.
Masculinity differs across the world, many white-Canadians are not accustomed to the masculinity that the Chinese were displaying. The cartoons illustrating John Chinaman played a huge role in the feminization of the Chinese men, in the reading, there was a picture of a Chinese man with a ponytail and it was in the grasp of what could appear to be a white male. There is not much writing on the picture itself, however, the picture shows us that there was a power imbalance between the two males, there can also be a comparison between females and Chinese men as women were also seen to be controlled by males. John Chinaman’s appearance was also a factor in the feminization of Chinese men, the illustrations show a male in a ponytail which at the time was appropriate for females, his clothing, when compared to the typical white-Canadian male was looser than the male clothing at the time. Although the origins of this character are unknown, with the introduction of John Chinaman, came another character called “Jack
Men and women in early China were separated by the idea of the Yin and Yang cosmic forces. These forces are complementary to each other. However they are hierarchical. Consequently, they lead to oppression. With the aspect
Three women actresses and their images in some works have been contrasted to answer two questions in chapter 5: why motherhood is not so prominent in Chinese cinema rather than in other countries, and how their looks should be and be regarded by others? By clarifying the viewpoints of other scholars, authors discuss how the looks take effect in forming modernity and Chineseness. Chapter 6 is titled “how should Chinese men act” and focuses on Confucian codes which “persist as mythic symbols of national identity, ideal masculine behavior, and institutional governance” (p.136). The codes can be summed up as filiality, loyalty and brotherhood. These codes confer privilege to masculinity in relation to governing the nation and family. By approaching the “interdisciplinary of ‘law and film’” (p.136) and referring to films of Jackie Chan, John Woo and Zhang Yimou, the authors argue that the promodern codes models men’s images and how the men should act in cinema
Several individuals within society typically follow social guidelines that they are unaware of performing. Social guidelines such as stopping at a red light or saying thank you when someone has done something for you. These social guidelines or norms give society a script to follow regarding their behavior and actions. Although norms are the acceptable actions and behaviors that society is taught to perform, there are occurrences where individuals stay away from those in which they are now enacting deviance. To act deviant is considered to break away or do something different of a social norm. There are several forms of deviance that occur frequently within society that violate social norms and hinder society’s overall function.
Early feminist studies of gender often depicted the expression of masculinity as solely meant to subordinate women. Upon further research and understanding of gender and its role in society, gender theorists have realized that masculinity is not only a patriarchal regulation against women, but that it also has negative effects against men. Masculinity has different characteristics in different cultures, but masculinity in general presents a hierarchy of traits, with femininity as the lowest, least desirable trait. In American culture, masculinity is defined within multiple structures, such as race, class, and sexuality, where a man’s masculinity can be lessened by his traits as well as these identities. Often, normative expressions of masculinity
From the beginning of the human race the gender roles of man and woman appeared to be straightforward. Women, being able to procreate, were sought to as nurturers, while men were to protect and provide for their family. Throughout all cultures, practices and beliefs of individuals toward masculinity significantly vary. Masculinity or manliness associates with characteristics such as strength, bravery, handsomeness, and physique in a male. With the ongoing changes in human history, the term masculinity has greatly evolved. Our western views’ paint a clear image of how children should be raised according to their gender role, which leads to more and more of them falling victim to the stigma of societal pressures and stereotypes. For example,
The role of the Chinese family in pre-modern China included thoughts centered on Confucian thought and methods. The Chinese family followed different methods of Confucian thought and the division of family responsibilities in China developed because of it. The original text of Confucius that dictated the roles of filial piety in China did not specify gender dichotomy but the implications led Chinese scholars to distinguish the position of men following filial values from women. Pre-Modern China had the dominative power of dozens of dynasties. Confucianism developed ideologically during the Spring and Autumn Period (722-476BC) as an intellectual movement. Although Confucianism’s beliefs stem from the thought of acceptance involving humanities right to learn and grown through personal understanding and knowledge of outside influences there is a division between the male and female tasks in filial piety. The woman’s place in pre-modern Chinese society always depended on the male figure in the household unless the woman held an elder position. In most cases, women under Confucian control had little direction in life that men did not manage. In this paper, I will discuss the relationship among self, community, society, and the state as well as the gender relations and definitions of public and private spaces between men and women in China.
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,
Masculinity in the modern age is changing, so much so that many men feel inadequate. A large amount of men are unable to understand what type of masculinity they fit into and what they want to fit into. In Gurmeet S. Kanwal’s article from “Psychology Today: The masculinity crisis, male malaise, and the challenge of becoming a good man” he says that, “the perception and image of heterosexual men in this country has never been as negative, de-idealized, and potentially harmful as it is now. And lots of men are feeling it.” Men are now feeling that they do not fit into or do not want to fit into popular masculinity. This is similar to the way American men were feeling about masculinity after World War II. Even though the male malaise was not present, many men were not content with the popularized breadwinner masculinity, according to Elizabeth Fraterrigo in her book Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America. In the time where Playboy was first starting off the most accepted masculinity was the breadwinner, which has now been looked down upon by media. The unhappiness men had at the time towards that one accepted masculinity was mended by Hugh Hefner’s creation of the Playboy lifestyle. Fueled by the male malaise and negativity from the media, masculinity will have to change in the near future even if it means creating a new kind like Playboy did.
Masculinity and femininity are two terms, which have been interpreted differently throughout history. Both the males and the females have responsibilities and duties but these duties differ based on one’s gender. Gender has played a prodigious role in the economy, politics, and the society. Everyone starts making interpretations of the strengths and weaknesses based on one’s gender. These interpretations are not always based on his or her ability but is usually based on his or her gender. Males tend to be judged as extremely strong and unfashionable in terms of appearance. Whereas, females are judged as expensive and very fashionable. Males and females both differ in their abilities and their enjoyments. Fashion, entertainment, and strength are three topics, which are used to define masculinity and femininity in the 21st century.