The author, Michael Kimmel was a sociologist professor. He would write or edit many books about men and their masculinity. In his piece “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” he talks and explains what the guy code is. For all guys, the guy code means masculinity. In Kimmel writing, he discusses the different ways that society today guys from ages 16 to 26 about behavior.
This work is significant in bringing American society’s true image of manhood into light.
What constitutes “masculinity?” Sadly, the term has been defined so harshly that it is having detrimental effects on our society. The definitions of gender roles bombard us everywhere, from books, to advertisements, to movies, there is seemingly no place one can hide from these absurd standards. Canadian sociologist Aaron H. Devor points out in his article “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender,” that gender norms are learned early on in life, burdening children with these restrictions (388). This is what makes movies which clearly reject and mock gender roles, such as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, so refreshing.
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac is about Ned Begay, a Navajo code talker during World War II. Ned faced two life changing events that shapes who he is. First is his move to an American boarding school that forces him to act like someone else, later he becomes a Navajo code talker with even more hardships to face. During these pivotal events, Ned experiences similar situations that I have been through. Ned was living peacefully on the Indian reservations until he has to go American boarding school hundred miles away.
History has repeatedly given men privilege due to their physical advantages; yet it is these same advantages that have developed into “rules” or expectations that all men should conform to in order to prove their manhood. Michael Kimmel’s essay, “‘Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code” outlines the “rules” where men are expected to never show any emotions, be brave, act knowledgeable, be risk takers, be in control, act reliable, and be competitive, otherwise they would be showing weakness which is analogous to women. It is humiliating that men associate weakness with women; they should focus on the potential of the individual rather than their gender. Most insults toward men attack their masculinity because society finds it shameful for men to be
The essay “Where have the good men gone” is altered from a book written by Kay S. Hymowitz called “Manning up: How the rise of women has turned men into boys”. The title provides an accurate preview to its content. Hymowitz is an editor of City Journal that writes about childhood, family issues, poverty, and cultural change in America. In this piece, Hymowitz argues that according to many studies and the opinion of young women, men are just not the way that they used to be. Hymowitz asserts that over the years, men have devolved from being men in early adulthood to boys.
While some similarities between What Does “Boys Will Be Boys” Really Mean? and How Boys Become Men are evident in their attention to stress how society sets standards and forces a stereotype upon the men and boys, they have different interpretations.
Rather than a single standard of masculinity to which all men and boys are taught to aspire to, studies have documented a variety of masculinity that define manhood differently across racial , ethnic, class, sexual , and regional boundaries.(Kathleen Blee) In this quote the author states that due to intersectional differences, different racial groups of men might have different definitions on what it means to be masculine and what it means to perform masculinity. Gender roles are also modified by life experiences over time across racial groups. In the next images I presented are all images of my guy friends and cousins. More specifically they are all images of African American males in my life choosing to participate in gender and masculinity.
She expresses that a man knows what he wants and then goes for it while a boy “may have somewhat of an idea…but does not think too much about it.” This goes alongside Dave Barry’s statement that guys do not ponder their innermost feelings. It proves that women notice that men think while guys, for the most part, do not. Chan again proves Dave Barry’s theory on guys correct when she states, “A boy has not established his moral compass or values.” In his essay, Dave Barry tells, “guys have never really grasped the Basic Human Moral Code” (944).
Since the dawn of time, countless expectations, assumptions, and stereotypes pertaining to innumerable groups of people have existed. A particularly pervasive example would include traditional ideals of what a “true” man is. The standards of being that society has implemented in growing boys are defining factors of their behavior throughout their lives. In the academic essay “Addressing Gender Socialization and Masculinity Norms Among Adolescent Boys: Policy and Programmatic Implications,” by Avni Amin et al., the causes and consequences of the traditional gender norms are addressed. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, the boys on the island consistently perpetuate the manly criteria that are only intensified by their relationships
Masculinity is a complex concept that is often portrayed in various ways in popular media. The hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother was able to grasp this concept, utilize different variations of true “masculinity” through its male characters, and can bring it to screens funnily and frivolously. The show balances the reinforcement of traditional gender roles while also undermining them, providing a nuanced and multi-faceted view of masculinity. Throughout “The Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1) we are introduced to the characters of How I Met Your Mother.
Does the excuse of boys will be boys negatively affect boys as well as girls? Deborah M. Roffman believes as much damage is caused to boys as is to girls by giving this excuse. In her essay “what does boys will be boys really mean?” She talks about how giving boys the excuse of boys will be boys for bad behavior negatively affects boys more than girls and must be stopped. Instead of talking about what people mean when using the excuse that boys will be boys, Roffman goes into depth on what the effects on boys are when using this.
Pascoe claims that “masculinizing discourses and practices extend beyond male bodies,” and that the fluid practices, rituals, and discourses that make up masculinity can be enacted by and affect males and females, and a multiplicity of institutions (9). Masculinity and compulsive heterosexuality are immutably linked, creating a reciprocal situation in which boys will assert their masculinity to prove their heterosexual and dominant identity, as well as prove their heterosexual dominance in order to affirm their
There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women.
Being a man today can be tough. The society a boy grows up in has a wide variety of ideals of what it is to be a man. A boy may see many contradictions of what it takes to be a man depending on the digital media he sees or the company he keeps. It can be difficult to make any sense out what it means to be a man. One avenue shows boys they can grow up to wear makeup and dress like women.
