Masculinity Essays

Constructing masculinities Masculinities are the patterns of social practice associated with the position of men in any society’s set of gender relations (Connell, 2005). Masculinity is not genetic trait that men are born with , rather it is acculturated, composed of social norms of behaviour, which they learn to reproduce in culturally appropriate ways (Beynon, 2002). Connell, (2005) defines masculinities as the pattern or configuration of social practices linked to the position of men in the gender

has its specific ideology of being a man; like, Masculinity in 3000 B.C. was defined by the valour and courage, Medieval masculinity was essentially based on Christianity and chivalric, Victorian masculine ideology was marked with responsible, well behaved, domestic, protective and breadwinners of family, Modern masculinity

Even with the negative effects of such social expectations, the ideas of masculinity are still widely praised and exploited throughout American culture. In much of women’s romance literature, the male protagonist are usually well-muscled, domineering, violent in protecting the heroine, and emotionally hardened. Literature such as

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

A strong sense of masculinity is an important ingredient that factors into a man's confidence.  To many, masculinity is seen as an attractive quality.  When one’s masculinity is challenged, one can react in a multitude of ways.  Hemingway demonstrates his own feelings of masculinity through the character of Frederic Henry.  In A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway uses varying sentence structure, diction, and stream-of-consciousness narration to project Frederic Henry’s insecurities concerning his

Basic training scenes show changes of the male body into a disciplined, strong fighting machine, constructing one of the most common ways that masculinity is characterized in these films: as pertaining only to a male body able to be described as muscular, strong, and physically fit. Films show the importance of the physical body in terms of proving masculinity through the exhibition of discipline and the ability to push through pain. For example, in Platoon, soldier Gardner is ridiculed for his physical

Understanding Masculinity ‘Man up’ or ‘be a man’ are two phrases that every man hears interchangeably throughout his journey from boyhood to manhood. Apparently there is an arbitrary universal man who personifies masculinity of the highest order and every man is supposed to be his extension. Closer a man is to this figure more masculine he is. What is masculinity and how does it determine social structures and behavioural patterns of men? The concept of masculinity is smoke-screened with ambiguous

Masculinity is more or less the gender role ascribed to males. It is basically what society expects of a man, and basis upon which a patriarchy separates men from women. This gender roles includes attributes such as but are not limited to courage, independence, and assertiveness. “What our culture means by “a man”, however, is a construct. It is something that does not occur in nature. It is a supernatural creature of extraordinary emotional, physical and mental resilience.” Exactly this, we as men

Finn 1). Furthermore, masculinity comprises languages, behaviors, and practices that exist in certain organizational and cultural locations, which are normally identified with males. Therefore, masculinity exists as a positive, “in as much as they offer some means of identity signification for males,” as well as a negative, “in as much as they are not the ‘Other’ (Feminine)” (Itulua-Abumere 42). According to Prof. Clatterbaugh and Dr. Whitehead, male behaviors and masculinity are not just a simple

Summary Researchers found that discussions of masculinity impact men’s ability to seek, give, and receive emotional support. The men that the information was gathered from concluded that they found it difficult to seek help. In other words they believe they cannot or should not go to others for help. Young men from the ages of 21 to 36 are affected most by this accusation because they are actually aware of the role that society perceives on men. Masculinity is a barrier that affected peer, romantic,

2.2 Masculinity concepts: Between Binaries and hegemonic masculinity After establishing the existence of a social identity that forms the self, I know want to address an additional element of identity formation: masculinity, and thus gender relations. The last years have seen various discussions about a so-called ‘crisis in masculinity’ . The rise of feminism, after-war generations of men raised by women and civil rights movements like the Gay Liberation movement are seen as a threat to masculinity

Gender Advocacy center). The idea that every man’s individual experiences differ brings into question what makes a man truly masculine. One position on defining masculinity is abiding by society’s expectations about the ideal male body and the characteristic traits often presented as manly. A second position that could be argued about masculinity is the idea of it being based entirely on the man’s role within society and what he provides for the family. In order to be seen as a true man, the

righteous identity of masculinity has been tainted by the stereotypical profile that is governed by machoism. These stereotypes eliminate any emotions, activities, and beliefs that exhibit weakness. These stereotypes cause men to seek unrelenting physical strength, a mind of iron, and isolation. However, these are only stereotypes; a man is something much more than attempting to live their life as a masquerade. A perfect example of a man following this mockery of masculinity is the title character

The videos “Tough Guise 2” and Jackson Katz’s TEDTallk are both extremely similar in that they both discuss the masculinity of males and how it is being used negatively in society today. There are many reasons and theory’s for why men do what they do but one factor that always seems to occur is trying to prove one’s masculinity. Whether proving it through strength, gender norms, personality, and sometimes even violence, it seems to be prevalent among every male. Victim blaming then happens after

The word “masculinity” has obtained various interpretations throughout the century; some positives and some negatives. Many will believe being masculine is someone who is well-built, tough, dominant and most especially unwomanly. However, what society does not realize is, femininity is also known as strong, powerful and vigorous. [As reconstruction was ending, In the US, industrialization was a time where a lot of factory workers and employed women were deskilled and to that affect, the wage of labor

not share the same linguistic and cultural competences of their school teachers was of little consequence. Academia was deemed both irrelevant to their working class future, and emasculating to their conception of masculinity (Newburn, Stanko, 2013). An aggressive style of masculinity was thus an important feature of the lads' collective identity. As Willis (1977, p.34) pointed out, 'Violence and the judgment of violence is the most basic axis of 'the lads' ascendance over the

What to Take Away from Monster In today’s society, the word masculinity is not easily defined. It is a socially constructed word that stereotypes the male sex, by painting an image that every man has to be big and strong, fearless and show no emotion. In the book, Monster written by Walter Dean Myers, the main theme is that men showing emotion should not be a sign of weakness, and it has nothing to do with being a man. This is all proven with three key examples in the book which include:

body, producing discomfort and desire to change. The discourse of gender tightly regulates how and when males and females discuss their bodies. Males rarely vocalize or discuss their bodies with other parties to ensure they do not jeopardize their masculinity. Conversely, females openly discuss their bodies with other females and

world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation. Throughout the play we observe Emilia’s character change, and how she suffered the consequence of challenging the system. Shakespeare’s Othello, utilises a range of dramatic techniques to showcase how women where

The theme of masculinity plays a big role in the novel Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Throughout the novel Cal learns that he is not the same as everyone else and realizes why many times he felt uncomfortable living as a female. Once Cal discovers that he was actually born a male his whole life and identity change. Many times in the novel when Cal starts to gain more of his masculine identity something happens to one of the male characters. The deaths of prominent male family members in the novel