...Muscularity, Masculinity, and Adolescent Men The relationship between muscularity, masculinity and dominance, propagated by advertisements and mass media, gives adolescent men a negative body image discrepancy. Men’s self-esteem is often tied to this discrepancy between the ideal body image and how they view their own bodies. Adolescent men attempt to diminish the difference between the perceived ideal body and their own bodies by lifting weights and taking supplements. Unfortunately, as they build more muscle their ideal body becomes more muscular, instilling a cycle of constant low self-esteem in adolescent men. This cycle is based on problems and contradictions inherent in this traditional notion of masculinity. Muscular, powerful male bodies are assumed to be related to social power. This gives them a perceived dominance over smaller, weaker men. Men believe that they will gain more self-esteem as they become more muscular. When confidence and self-esteem are defined by body image, men will never be confident because their body never reaches what they perceive to be the ideal. White and Gillett point out the fallacy that social power is related to physical power, when in reality social power is more closely tied to economic and political structures (35). White and Gillett summarize Brod’s ideas about the two primary reasons that cause men to feel insecure about their masculinity. The first is that there is an increasing gap between the institutional and personal forms...
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...In the novella of Mice and Men and the TV show Fargo, the idea of masculinity and its surrounding ideas are played with allot. From the idea of a male partnership to animal symbolism, these texts show similar events happening to similar collections of people, however, these two texts are different in the audience that they are appealing towards. In Steinbeck’s novella, it is very much a piece of its time, being centered around the great depression and a man's struggle to find work in these hard times, very much reflecting on Steinbeck’s own life. Whereas Fargo focuses more on the ideals of the American dream, following a lowly ‘failure’ of a man as his life gets ripped from him. The idea of the traditional Lone Wanderer is portrayed in both...
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...In the production of “A Few Good Men” two marines, Lance Corporal Dawson and Private Downey, are accused of murdering another marine, Private Santiago, at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Both men a suggesting that they are not guilty of murdering Private Santiago. Downey and Dawson said they were ordered by their platoon leader Lieutenant Kendrick to give Private Santiago a “Code Red”. A term used to describe physical and emotional abuse inflicted on a recruit who is seen lazy or violates marine code. Santiago could never keep up with his fellow marines and broke the “marine code” by writing to a higher ranking marine asking for a transfer off the naval base in Guantanamo Bay. Kendrick ordered Dawson and Downey to shave Private Santiago’s head and shove a rag in the Privates mouth, while doing so Santiago died of a heart attack. And the two marines Dawson and Downey were charged with murder and conduct unbecoming of an officer. At the beginning of the film one of the defense attorneys JoAnne Galloway is asking to defend these two young marines. The only problem...
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...dress code among female students and women in the society. There has been a call to criminalize and ban women’s fashion, the banning and legalization received legislative support in January 2008 when chairperson Ufot Ekaette presented bill against public nudity which has not yet been passed to law (Nigeria 2007). Ufot Ekaette says that there is a relationship between sexuality and nudity, she also says that the way women dress has always been directed to men. And is an invitation to an erotic encounter with ramifications involved. She also says that women need to be disciplined on how to treat their bodies with respect and that the women need to be protected at all times ( Little 1973; Wilson 1985; Ivaska 2004). In the Public nudity bill Ufot Ekaette defined ‘indecent dressing’ as when women are dressed in a way which exposes their breasts, belly, waist and two inches below shoulders and downwards to the knee that is females and males above the age of 14 years, (Nigeria 2007;1). She also states that this exposure makes men in the society weak, even the disciplined clergymen who are seduced by women wearing revealing clothing (Nageria 2007;2). Ufot Ekaette makes reference to God in her bill as if God made her say all that she is saying,...
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...Gender Differences in Perception of Masculinity in Men’s Crying I. INTRODUCTION Masculinity means being inexpressive and unemotional. Men are not expected to cry, to be sad or to be vulnerable (Forisha, 1978). According to the traditional stereotype being masculine means being assertive, being interested in things, rather than people, being analytical and manipulative, and being able to “get things done” (Forisha, 1978) Femininity and masculinity or one's gender identity refers to the degree to which persons see themselves as masculine given what it means to be a man or woman in society. (Burke, Stets and Pirog-Good 1988; Spence 1985) A person with a more masculine identity should act more masculine, that is, engage in behaviors whose meanings are more masculine such as behaving in a more dominant, competitive, and autonomous manner (Ashmore, Del Boca, and Wohlers 1986). Men are more likely than women to feel ashamed of crying. There are variations in degree, but this indicates that social norms restricting male crying may be pretty much universal. Male crying being generally discouraged from an early age, while female crying is accepted or even rewarded (Fox, 2004). Men cry less frequently and intensely than women, and this sex difference is especially marked for crying in response to anger. (Santiago-Menez & Campbelle, February, 2013) The history of men crying, men have always cried. Yet the acceptability of male crying has varied across...
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...brutality, they frequently encountered sexism and racism from both white men and black men. Within the public and private sector of the Civil Rights Movements and the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, black women often had to adopt the strategy of performing...
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...whereas now that is accepted (western). There is a clear relationship between gender and crime according to official statistics. It has been revealed that men about six or seven times more likely to offend than women. In self-report studies the figures are not as large, however, men are still in the majority. Also when we look at victims of crime it appears that men are more likely to be victims of crime than women. Messerschmidt says young men want to conform to the dominant form of masculinity which he called ‘hegemonic masculinity’. It’s the idealised form which is ‘defined through work in the paid labour market, the subordination of women, heterosexist and the uncontrollable sexuality of men’, (It’s a form of masculinity that most men aim to accomplish and is prized and prestigious). Messerschmidt argues that different men use crime and deviance to accomplish prestigious hegemonic masculinity. Depending on their status and class position, different men attempt to accomplish this masculinity in different ways. Young Middle class males are usually able to demonstrate some form of masculinity through success at school/college, while some assert their masculinity outside of school through vandalism, theft and heavy drinking, they are able to avoid negative labelling due to their affluent background. White working class young men are less likely to be successful in education...
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...Explain how theories of masculinity have transformed the sociology of the family? Finbarr Lawton, University College Cork, Department of Sociology. Student Number: 111310236, Module title/code: Sociology of Family, SC2026, Module Coordinator: Linda Connolly Submission Date: 14/1/13 Throughout my essay I will attempt to look at different theories of masculinity and try to show how these theories have transformed the sociology of family in recent decades. I will start by looking at the sociology of family, giving a brief insight into the main theory’s and how it helps us to understand what the sociology of family is essentially about. Following on from this I will look at masculinity giving the main ideas of it and how it has changed and shifted roles in past decades. Before going into detail about masculinity and how it has changed by looking at theories of fatherhood, work, and unemployment and Hegemonic masculinity. Finally I will finish by looking at the main advantages and disadvantages of this change in masculinity in recent decades looking also at how it has changed the sociology of family. When looking at the sociology of family we see that it is an extremely broad field of study and can really be split into four main theories of which to look at the sociology of family, these being: 1. “Functionalist theory: Looks at the essential tasks provided by the family e.g. Socialisation: Regulation of sexual activity. Social placement: Material and emotional...
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...Hegemonic masculinity is the ideal form of masculinity. According to R.W Connell and James Messeschmidt the concept hegemonic masculinity requires comprehensive re-examination (Connell and Messeschmidt, p.830) because hegemonic masculinity as a concept does not refer to all men. To speak of masculinities is to speak about gender relations. Masculinities concern the position of men in a gender order in terms of hierarchy. Hegemonic masculinity serves not to empower men but celebrates a particular form of masculinity exalted by the most privileged in society. Conell and Messeschmidt suggest that there is a gender hierarchy amongst men in which particular groups of men are considered in subordination to others. The authours concept of hegemonic masculinity provides a more dynamic perspective of the existing power structures and subordination. It takes into account a wide array of sociopolitical/socioeconomic factors and cultural groups in consideration rather than approaching hegemonic masculinity in terms of binary absolutes. They also lay out the problems with granting superiority to an ideal form of masculinity which is unattainable by most men and excludes women. Drawing on empirical research and the history of hegemonic masculinity concept, this article examines the complex ways in which hegemonic masculinity is used to legitimize the power structures put in place in a patriarchy society. In patriarchy societies, people with hegemonic masculine qualities such as white...
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...which are biologically congenital, universal, and essentially reproductive. As we know, males and females are different in sexual organs, genes and hormones. While daughters are described as beautiful, delicate, and weak, sons seem strong, coordinated and alert despite no differences between them in weight, health and strength. What makes sex categorization significant goes beyond the biological characteristics. Gender is different cultural definitions of masculinity and femininity, different expectations and experiences, and psychological and social meanings attached to the categories of male and female. We define women or men by their sexual organs, the way they behave, how they look and dress, what they are supposed to do in order to be acceptable and appropriate and what roles they are allowed to do. Gender roles, as basic as femininity and masculinity, are two sets of traits and behaviors to distinguish men and women and based on socially-prescribed expectations about ideal sexual types. However, it is said that men can be feminine and women can be masculine some or all of the time. In the past, many people used to observe sex difference in behavior through biological and social forces but actually it is a complex interweaving of both. The sex difference seems to be linked to sex hormones. However, the amount and form of social play is shaped by cultural...
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...The purpose of this paper is to explain the following terms in detail: radical feminism; socialist feminism; rape; masculinities; violence; sexual harassment; biology is not destiny; and negative feminist stereotypes. I have chosen to discuss the two feminist theories that were previously mentioned due to the fact that they both focus heavily on the oppression of men in society, as well as the evident gender division between the sexes. I have chosen to focus on the six concepts that were previously mentioned because they focus on how women are oppressed, and mistreated in society. Radical Feminism Radical feminism supports the idea that patriarchy is the main form of oppression women face. The goal of radical feminism is the elimination of patriarchy. From a radical feminist perspective, women are oppressed in three main ways or areas: the state, the nuclear family, and through reproduction and mothering. Radical feminism also suggests that the lack of control women have over their own bodies and own reproduction is central to oppression. Radical feminists aim towards eliminating sexual, as well as physical violence against women (Calixte et al., 2009). The significance of radical feminism is that it focuses on what is seen as the major oppressors in our culture. Moreover, radical feminism opens our eyes to male dominance and how it has been highly normalized. It alerts us to how ‘normal’ or common images from pornography reduce women to sexual objects. Moreover, it makes...
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...only revolving on the challenges that women have but you can’t forget that men also go through the same. With everything on the news being about feminism people often forget that men also have problems. This leads me to say that one of the main troubles that young men have today is how society defines masculinity. Society plays a huge role in a young man’s life due to all the social media outputs so how all these outputs portray masculinity is a huge problem for the young men of today. To begin with, the way society portrays masculinity is in a sort of fashion that oppresses young men by not only making young men act like emotionless robots they are also judged in the material that they study and read. A good example of this is how society used the cowboy to portray a “Man” (source 1) what today’s society expects from young men is a person who will be tough all the time and do all the hard work with no complaining but clearly that is nothing how a cowboy’s life really is as a true cowboy are mostly all the time caring people who work with animals and care for them (source 3) so not only is society keeping young men from expressing themselves they are giving false portrayals of true manhood....
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... Violent Masculinity: How American Society and Media Glorify Violence in the American Youth By it’s anthropologic definition, masculinity is anything that men think and do. It is anything that men think and do to other men. And lastly, it is the idea that some men are innately, or are acknowledged to be, more macho than other men (Guttman 93). When we consider those in their childhood and adolescence stages, even though they aren’t men, they are nevertheless affected by the constructs of masculinity. In this paper, I intend to show how American Society and popular media combine to construct a masculinity norm that glorifies violence, especially among teens, adolescence, and children. Before we look at how masculinity can lead to violence in our culture, we must first unearth how masculinities are constructed, both by mainstream media and by societal norms. Perhaps the most crucial aspect of masculine and feminine studies is that gender is a perception that is socially constructed (Craig 2). Academics are cautious to separate sex—a purely biological difference—and gender—a label that is used to illustrate the essential qualities that society attributes to members of a particular sex. As a result, masculinity becomes a term that we must explain. It is widely recognized that American society and popular media are responsible for shaping masculinity, so it is only logical to that these two institutions be of primary focus when determining how men, their culture...
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...of Atlanta, masculinity is usually a concept you talk about extensively. You write papers, read scholarly articles, watch documentaries, and have deep conversations about the facets of masculinity. However, you never talk to people who actually perform unconventional masculinity. As an intellect, you know that masculinity is a performance, but no one can truly understand the entire idea until you examine the stories of people who perform and experience it. It was my second semester of college, when I started to look at the world and masculinity through a different lens. I was starting to dissect my life as not only a black person, but a black woman in a male centered and dominated society. I started to remember a hashtag that trended when I first entered school, #MasculinitySoFragile. It depicted men, especially black men, doing things that weren’t normally associated with traditional masculinity. I didn’t...
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...BULLYING BOYS: AN EXAMINATION OF HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY IN THE PLAYGROUND Dr L Trickett1 ABSTRACT Violence between young men, particularly resulting from the emergence of a so called ‘gun and knife culture’, is currently subject to extensive media coverage in UK2. Alongside this there has been increased anxiety about both the scale and impact of bullying in schools (Cawson et al, 2002; Tyler, 2002). These issues form part of a more generalised concern about men and boys in Britain often referred to as a ‘crisis of masculinity’ (see Clare, 2000). This article examines findings from research with male respondents about their relationship with hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1987, 1989, 1995, 2005) and bullying whilst at school and makes suggestions as to what can be done to tackle abusive behaviour amongst boys and young men. 1 Dr Loretta Tricket is a Senior Lecturer and researcher with the Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, UK. 2 See Lockhart, G; McClory, J and Qvortrup, M. (2007) Gun and Knife Crime in Great Britain, Policy Exchange, Research Note. Knife crime is a fact of life for teenagers (Bryony Gardon, telegraph.co.uk, 31 May 2008). 2 Introduction This article is in five parts. Part One outlines the theoretical background to the research. Part Two describes the methodology and the participants. Part Three discusses different types of bullying and the factors that were associated with them. Part Four discusses resistance...
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