Toxic Masculinity In Media

Gender rules the world in mainstream America whether we like it or not. As we look through our gender glasses we see gender on an individual level that we also categorize. In the movie “Tough Guise 2- Violence, Manhood & American culture” we see some of the oldest perspectives know in gender; femininity and masculinity. When we talk about masculinity in America today we theorize that violence that happens more often than we like, from mass shootings or crime in general, including rape and murders in the real world and in the virtual thrill world of videogames and movies we find a parallel connection of masculinity as violent. Even though an overwhelming majority of violence is committed by men and boys we as americans rarely connect gender as a major key in violence. But when we lay out the plane lines about culture of violence were almost always hinting that it is a masculine trait that is a taught behavior. The modern society has conjured up the idea of the ideal man, that showing emotions is wrong but one must be charming, seeming smartish but more of an attitude of control showing that manhood has a hierarchy. Weakening the not so tough guy, society giving them labels to show they are outside of the gender binary. Giving american men the natural behavior to want to produce a manhood that is harsh but welcomed We see this want cultivated in today's pop culture from movies to tv shows that have hypermasculinized the idea of the ideal man being a womanizer on sexual conquest leading men in the real world to feel lonely because they can't meet the ideals men's quota.

What are some benefits to boys and men of putting on the “tough guise”? When is it an effective and adaptive response, and when is it self-destructive and dangerous to others?

Toxic masculinity is found all around in the media; Hip-hop is a big, well-known contributor. This issue started around the 1970’s when Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Gang Hill hit the charts. Undoubtedly many of men (and women) heard this #2 top hit on VH1’s 100 Greatest

In my opinion the false masculinity concepts from 2003 stated in Season of Life are still alive and even worse. From a very young age, children have the wrong idea what it means to be a man and chances are they never will. There is so much pressure on young kids to compete and be better than others. Often, you are only compared to someone else and because of this, young men come to false conclusions about manhood. Over time, they believe that masculinity is about athletic ability, sexual conquest, and economic success. Now with the evolution of technology the false masculinity has gotten even worse.

“Got hips like honey, so thick and so sweet.” Body Like a Back Road is a country song sung by Sam Hunt. This song not only is very well liked but uses figurative language in many ways. Throughout the song one will notice metaphors, imagery, and irony. The song is about Sam Hunt and his relationship.

Similar to Sapolsky, Katz argues that the media teaches men from a young age to be tough, aggressive, and not to show emotional vulnerability. This is what he calls the “tough guise” or the artificial definition of manhood that forces men to conform to society’s expectations by being “tough” and powerful and hiding their emotions. In the beginning of the film Katz shows interviews with various young males where he asks what it means to be a man, and all of them provide an answer referring to strength, such as “powerful,” “intimidating,” “strong,” and of course, “tough.” When asked what a male is called when they fail to live up to these expectations, the young men replied, “wuss,” “fag,” or “sissy.” Katz points out that this just one of numerous methods that society uses to contain young men in this “tough guise” box, using insults to drive them to perform the way they believe a man should. Multiple other places exist where young men learn these behaviors, such as community, school, and in their family; however, Katz argues that one of the most powerful influences is the country’s pervasive media. For example, as movies have progressed, men have grown larger as women grow smaller. Movies such as Rocky, Rambo, and even the Godfather show men as inherently violent, strong, and emotionally underdeveloped, and this becomes the ideal image for boys just as the beautiful, nurturing, thin woman becomes the ideal for girls. Similar to Sapolsky, Katz believes that in order to lessen violence, our society needs to show honest and diverse representations of males rather than blaming

Although it is common to see how women are misrepresented, the male population is also victimized by improper portrayal in the media. One could see that the view of masculinity promoted by the media is erroneous and brings about negative feelings in men such as self-doubt and inferiority. False perceptions of how men should be are conveyed in the article, “Are Men the Latest Victims of Media Misrepresentation,” stating that “the media industry tend[s] to characterize men as macho guys, skirt chasers and inept at parenting and relationships. While this may have historically been true, what our results showed is that these characterizations aren’t reflecting the behavior and aspirations of today’s men” (Casserly 1). From this quote, one could

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

Over time, the thought patterns of many individuals mould to believe only one perception of what is morally acceptable— a perception that is completely faulty. The ideology of the male body and demeanor is only one of the many societal norms constructed by the media, and it alone can result in mental health fatalities, mass violence, or the mere elimination of self-identity whilst attempting to meet the ever-changing ideals of masculinity. The continuous and stereotypical depiction of masculinity in the media has idealized invulnerability, toughness and physical strength as the sole qualities of a ‘true man’. As a result, the complexity of masculinity is flattened, and immense pressures are placed on individuals to meet requirements that are entirely faulty. According to Katz, cultures, topics, and even genders are not one-dimensional; in order to fully comprehend the meaning the entirety of something, one must look at more than its representation in the media.

Being pressured into conventional roles today is less common than back in the 40’s and 50’s when society had nothing but conforming roles for men and women in society. examples of this come from how men and women were brought up, culture and media. If it were not for these three factors gender roles would be farfetched. But unfortunately, there is still this pressure of gender roles and one way or another everyone has to make the decision of whoever they want to be and live with those roles. In this essay culture, media and how both men and women being raised affect gender roles and socialization.

In everyone's life, at some point in time, there exists a certain, natural craving for something. The longing can only be described as the desire for something more, or perhaps the desire for an adventure. Bruce Springsteen undoubtedly was either at a point like this in his life, or at least had this in mind, when he wrote the song Thunder Road. This is a song that first reads like a scenario playing out between him and a young woman named Mary. Upon listening and analyzing further, however, one will find that this song has a hidden meaning to which everyone can relate.

The article that my group and I decided to do was “Toxic masculinity is killing men: The roots of male trauma” by Kali Holloway. Many people do not know that by saying “be a man” can cause such a huge negative impact. In this article it explains how masculinity is toxic and how it affects the life of men. In the article it reveals all the effects of masculinity, how it starts, and ways how it is shown in society. From here on I will be summarizing the article, making connections, explaining my involvement in the project and a reflection of my overall performance.

Connie Harrington was listening to a public radio program called Here & Now on Memorial Day when she happened to hear a story about a father remembering his son, killed in Afghanistan in 2006. He mentioned that he drove his son 's truck and he went on to describe the truck. Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti was 30 when he was killed in action in 2006. The sergeant was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for trying to rescue a badly wounded comrade in Afghanistan. His patrol had come under a fierce attack, and Jared ran out three times into a wall of bullets and grenades. On his last attempt to save the private, he was killed. "That 's something I have to live with every day. ... [He] never gave up on anything, no matter what it was," Paul says of his son. "Your child

In the article “Men –It’s in Their Nature” by Christina Hoff Summers, the author supports the claim that men acting the way they are born and bred—that is, aggressive, competitive, and more indifferent to their feelings—is not an issue (Sommers 366). The issue, she argues, is that schools are trying to make boys less “like boys” and more “like girls”. Sommers believes that masculine qualities and behavior are rooted in men’s DNA and it is practically a hate crime to try and force them to suppress their manly tendencies. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, men being “the way they are”, or rather, “the way they are supposed to be”

Exaggerated ideas of masculinity and femininity in the media are ways that anti-feminists have reacted to women trying to get more rights than they’d had before. For example, Lucy, a TV show from the 1950s, is about a woman who repeatedly finds her place is at home, not the workplace. During World War II in the ‘40s, women had jobs and supported themselves while their husbands were fighting in the war. After the war, the men came back, forcing the women out of their jobs even though they wanted to keep working. TV shows such as Lucy served as propaganda to convince women that they should stay home because men were better than them at any job they may have had during the war.