ipl-logo

Reaction Paper On Masculinity

978 Words4 Pages

The meme I created illustrates how some men have the constant urge to assert, prove, demonstrate and showcase their masculinity. There are various reasons for this that I will touch on. The meme relates specifically to fragile masculinity, which is connected to hegemonic masculinity. Fragile masculinity defines how some men are insecure about how masculine they appear in the eyes of society. This relates to the idea of toxic masculinity, which describes the societal expectations how a man should behave, and this usually consists of normalized stereotypical behaviours and attitudes such as “be a man”, “that’s girly” etc. Toxic masculinity stereotypes are internalized by males which then leads them to become insecure when they do not fully fit into their sex role. In their article, Carrigan, Connell, and Lee (1985) discuss Talcott Parsons, who introduced the concept of American sex role theory which describes the structural differentiation between men and women. This differentiation stems from the distinction between the instrumental and expressive roles. Parsons (1985) stated that people are fit into these sex roles through socialization, from family. Parents teach their children the expectations society has for them based on their body, which allows these roles to persist across generations. Thus, people are socialized to think of the masculine personality and the feminine personality as opposite and distinct from one another which ultimately influences their behaviour. From

Show More
Related

  • Toxic Masculinity Summary

    778 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a society where we fight for equal rights all over the world, one would think that the emotional freedom of men and women would not be one. Today, men are still held hostage emotionally and are unable to express themselves without ridicule freely. In the article “Toxic Masculinity,” Callie Zimmerman suggests that males face many hardships simply because they are forced to exhibit a degrading state of manhood (web). Toxic masculinity holds true by pointing out the history of this misconception and providing insight for one to relate, understand and change these views in one’s life. Men are often held to a higher standard than women with masculinity being the most important part of their existence.

    Read More

  • Spongebob Gender Roles

    1332 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Guys Suffer From Oppressive Gender Roles Too

    890 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “Guys Suffer from Oppressive Gender Roles Too,” author Julie Zeilinger makes it clear that men’s actions, personalities, and identities are contrived based on society’s expectations. These expectations shove boys and men into a character-like attitude, preventing them from truly discovering themselves. With a society that decides to adhere to these gender roles, any sign of being different from the rest of the world tends to generate a negative reaction. Accepting and learning about gender roles is established at a young age, for anyone of that matter. Whether it be during school, through any form of media, or even from our own friends and family, gender roles are expectations that many boys and men tend to feel threatened by.

    Read More

  • Othello Gender Stereotypes

    1977 Words  | 8 Pages

    Inaccurate generalizations in society latch onto minds, possibly without recognition, forming a mold for what encompasses masculinity. As a consequence, males from their earliest days are taught how to act and speak varying very much from females. From a young age boys are taught to be physically strong and that they must win athletically. The world stands excessively divided in terms of toys, food, clothes, toiletries and activities. Shakespeare represents the same idea though Othello in the 1600s with the positions of power politically solely being held by men.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Michael Kimmel's The Joy Luck Club

    1641 Words  | 7 Pages

    Quotation Analysis “It is true, of course, that white guys do not have a monopoly on appalling behavior. There are plenty of young black and Latino boys who are equally desperate to prove their manhood, to test themselves... but only among white boys to the dynamics of Guyland seem to play themselves out so invisibly” (Kimmel 10). 1. Richard Blanco grows up being coerced into flirting and going out with girls. He does this in order to fit in with his friends and uphold the expectations of his family.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Robert Jensen's The High Cost Of Manliness

    315 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Robert Jensen’s article “The High Cost of Manliness”, he states that the idea of masculinity is a bad thing and they should get rid of it. This article debates on the common stereotypes of men, as he states: “That dominant conception of masculinity in U.S. Culture is easily summarized: Men are assumed to be naturally competitive and aggressive, and being a real man is therefore marked by the struggle for control, conquest, and domination” (par. 4). Nonetheless, there are some traits that men and woman share, such as, caring, compassion, and tenderness. These traits often depend on the situation, since a man cannot always be this way, whereas, a woman is often expected to have these traits.

    Read More

  • Psy 311 Week 2 Gender Roles Research Paper

    396 Words  | 2 Pages

    More often than not, society compels us to behave like genders we are not. For instance, when faced with challenges like finance, family issues and education, women are expected to be exceptionally strong. Likewise, when men are confronted with sensitive issues they are not expected to openly show their emotions like women. Some jobs description requires female

    Read More

  • Cinderella Ate My Daughter By Kali Holloway: Article Analysis

    902 Words  | 4 Pages

    This connects to the article “Toxic masculinity is killing men: The roots of male trauma” because instead of how society is setting expectations for male this is the opposite, instead this article is talking about the expectation that have been given to females. That is how these two articles related to each other, they both had expectations for a

    Read More

  • Stereotyping In Huckleberry Finn Essay

    512 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stereotyping is not something that only happens with women; men are meant to fit a certain standard, and those who fail to do this are the target of insults. “Be a man,” “suck it up,” and “don’t cry” are only a few phrases handpicked from a plentiful selection of ego-damaging constructions built into today's society, aimed at boys and men. Reinforcing rhetoric that feminizes emotional expression and masculinizes violence has the power to stunt empathy, drive dominance, and connect respect with fear. Boys are born loving creatures, but at a very young age they are taught the traits, diminutive language, and mindset that aligns them with society’s concept of what it means to be a man. If a man is not like this, then essentially, he is not a true

    Read More

  • A Work In Progress: Gender Roles In The United States

    1121 Words  | 5 Pages

    Girls can be athletic. Guys can have feelings. Girls can be smart. Guys can be creative. And vice versa.

    Read More

  • Sexism In Today's Society

    657 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our progressive world, we are failing to recognize an important issue of sexism. Men are constantly expected to be ‘manly’ and strong, mainly seen in their attitudes and fashion. This strong cultural expectation of men is the core reason behind the bullying of those who don’t conform to gender stereotypes. Acting outside the boundary for males causes ridicule and becomes a taboo. Things considered manly are societal conventions.

    Read More

  • Toxic Masculinity In Media

    1492 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Full Metal Jacket

    1738 Words  | 7 Pages

    Society has hammered into are minds that men are always supposed to be strong, brave, courageous and can withstand anything. The film “Full Metal Jacket” directed by Stanley Kubrick is an excellent example of this crisis of masculinity. The crisis of masculinity, and what it means to be a man has been shaped by society and our definition of what it means to be masculine. Masculinity doesn't mean that a man must be tough, hard, angry or emotionless. This scene from the full metal jacket gives an excellent example of the crisis of masculinity.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Devil Wears Prada

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyone has different personalities but interestingly, most of the people have tried to become identical recently. They just follow the instructions of who they should be as much as they saw in the media instead of discovering their true selves. These instructions are mainly created by society and people are getting these instructions mostly in movies and in other media channels. Most of them can be called as gender roles which means the spesific attitudes and behaviors given by society to people regarding on their biological sexes. Gender roles and also stereotypes have an enormous impact on people’s lives since it shapes everyone’s identities and lifestyles.

    Read More

  • Essay On Masculinity

    1064 Words  | 5 Pages

    Masculinity (also called boyhood, manliness or manhood) is a set of attributes, behaviors and roles generally associated with boys and men. But the culture doesn’t end at the definition, it starts from there. The first thing to come to mind when the word masculinity is heard is usually a man flexing his gigantic muscles, as the word might sound to suggest, and that right there is the current culture of masculinity because sadly, in the world we live in, not everyone has a “muscular body”. So far we know the concept of masculinity, but the culture is what is truly hampering.

    Read More

More about Reaction Paper On Masculinity

Open Document