The Unanswered Question of Masculinity
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Gender is a very strange topic in today’s society. Many people don’t know what to do with people who are transvestites or transsexuals and they often times hate them because they are different. People always think that there can only be two types of gender: masculine and feminine. People also feel that these genders most always correspond to a person’s sex. So if the person is a male, then most people wouldn’t accept that person into society if they acted feminine. For human beings there is no essential femaleness and maleness, femininity or masculinity, womanhood, or manhood, but once gender is ascribed, the social order constructs and holds individuals to strongly gendered norms and expectations. Different masculine and feminine identities have existed since possibly the beginning of time. Femininity and masculinity has dramatically changed in American society and the world period, as many people would say. I personally believe that gender is now less ridged and constraining, and those boundaries of masculinity and femininity have become blurred.
Many people may even suggest that categories have fragmented because society is changing and people no longer accept many traditional values and are accepting or starting to accept new groups of people such as transsexuals, bisexuals, and homosexuals. Yet, to understand these people you have to study and ask these people. I personally believe that there is even a misconception when it comes to the modern man. The fact that “machoness” or “manliness” is seen as a negative impact on man, or a bad personality choice is quite ludicrous to me.Threaten a mans masculinity and he will assume more macho attitudes. The double standard of masculinity in gender role is a topic that has been debated in our society extensively, through research as well as in informal settings. Many wonder what it means to be masculine, and if we can really assign a definition to such a subjective term. After all, shouldnt ones own perception be the determinant of what constitutes masculinity? This self-construction would be the ideal in our society, but unfortunately, it represents a false belief. Masculinity has certain characteristics assigned to it by our culture. In this paper I will explore the many different sectors of masculinity and demonstrate how certain beliefs pertaining to it are perpetuated in our society. I will also uncover many of the contradictions between societys assigned definition of masculinity and the expectation that males will somehow learn how to act contrary to that assigned and learned meaning. The definition of masculinity men can be seen as primarily and secondarily socializing into believing certain characteristics are definitive in determining their manliness and masculinity.
These characteristics range from not crying when they get hurt to being and playing violently. The socialization of masculinity in our society begins as early as the first stages of infancy. A childs sense of self or self-concept is a result of the multitude of ideas, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs to which he is exposed. From the outset of a boys life he is socialized into the belief that he should be “tough”. Often when boys get hurt or come whimpering to their mother or father, the fated words, boys dont cry, is issued forth. Children internalize parental messages regarding gender at an early age, with awareness of adult sex role differences being found in two-year-old children and that can be displayed when children play games such as house or other games of that sort. There also exists the belief that boys are often required to do “mens work” outside of the home such as mowing the lawn, cleaning the garage, etc., and not “sissy womens work” such as cooking and cleaning, etc.
Such as in the article “Girl”, the author describes her life or the life of the women of her times and it is basically the stereotypical “to-do list” which is the basic layout of a woman’s duties. Other factors help to perpetuate certain standards expected of men and boys. With the violence we witness on television further legitimates this belief. Katz explains that advertising imagery equates masculinity with violence. In the article “From Fly Girls to Bitches and Hoes” the author takes aim at black men in particular. Even though I am talking about men when it comes to being masculine in general, this article can shed some light on a particular subject. The author makes an open-ended statement saying that many black men take into affect these acts of violence, sex, and disrespect towards women. This article helps explain that it is not just the reinforcement of the media that defines the masculinity of most black men that legitimate masculinity but society as a whole.
Another example of how this can be reinforced even by women who may or may not be trying to pump up such a belief is with an experience I had growing up. When I would get a cut or a bruise, I would muster up all the strength I had to not cry. I feared that if I cried I wouldnt be worthy of being a tough kid. On one occasion I had a severe cut in my knee that required several stitches. When I took a look at the wound after rolling up my pant leg, my first inclination was to break out crying. However, at that moment my teacher told me what a brave boy I was and how amazed she was that I was not crying. She probably did not realize that she was sending a message to me that if I cried I would not be tough enough, and therefore I would not become a real man. Athletics is another type of stereotypical acts that can reinforce societys definition of masculinity. Boys watch how their fathers dote and fawn over “the game”, whether it is football, basketball, or any other sport that epitomizes masculinity. Children notice that the men on TV impress dad and they want to be like that. This initial reinforcer is a major thing for boys wanting to learn athletics. It may not be just that dad watches athletics on TV, but also in speaking with his son, he may encourage him to develop his athletic superiority or taste for masculine competition.
He can do this in ways such as buying him a baseball glove so they can spend time playing catch, or buying him other “masculine” athletic equipment such as guns. All of these factors serve as primary variables in instilling within boys the desire to excel physically. Similarly, how often are young boys seen competing with each other in bike races, acts of physical strength or even in something as simple as “My dad can