Four Types Of Masculinity

How does the one do become a man? What do we mean by being a 'real ' man? According to R.W. Connell, masculinity can be categorized into four different types. Hegemonic masculinity prevails over other subordinate, complicit and marginalized masculinities. It is the most powerful form of being masculine among the four.

First, the concept of hegemonic masculinity is about a specific trait model of men to be “so men”. That is to say, it is a set of codes and standards for being an ideal perfect man. It tells how the society portrays the significance of a desirable masculine image. This sense of male image is not inborn, but generates from culturally and socially dominant practices. It is a process of mixing influences of media, religion,

There are many expressions reflect how people demonstrate hegemonic masculinity, such as “men should never show his emotional vulnerability to people”, “be like men, so don’t cry” and “make a man out of you”. These show how males conform to the masculine characteristics I have mentioned above. The suppression of emotions allows men to be like “real” men. It contains the expectations of maintaining a distance from women and other “weaker” men. They accept it in a way of “take it like men”. To a certain extent, the logic behind these behaviors is just like men open doors for women but not the other way around. If women do things for men, men may feel less masculine. As a result of some males do things are supposed only be able for men to do, they can be the ideal dominance in the

Men behave in a masculine manner which fits in certain masculine qualities that are admitted as “real” men. If a man could achieve this standard, it means to be successful. It is a specific existence of masculinity in a dominant way, but also quite unattainable for most men. It privileges the one gender over the other. That usually emphasizes and favors on the relations with patriarchy, which tells how men are most admired in the power and high status. It explains why we may think some men are “more men” than others. It is complicated process interplay between standards, ideals, interactions and patriarchy. The formation of hegemonic masculinity is culturally constructed. In different culture and time periods, it is in constant flux and reforming. When I am writing the paper, I think it is really interesting. It also makes me had a struggle in finding suitable