...Boys Peter Middleton’s essay “Boys Will Be Men” begins with simple anecdotes about the relationships between boys and men of different ages. Middleton then changes his focus towards comic books, where his focus remains all the way through the rest of the paper. Circling back to his original thoughts, the focus on comic books leads to an analysis of comic books in regards to children and their development into men. In his conclusion to the essay, Middleton states, “Nevertheless, action comics for boys are certainly damaging because they offer false solutions to the difficulties of growing up which both sexes face” (Middleton 141). Often Middleton points out that the reason that little boys read such comic books is that their true role models, their fathers, are not home. So in their absence, the children latch onto the traits found inherent in the superheroes they read about. However, the newly found role models, and superheroes, do not represent that which should be portrayed to our children. Throughout many comic book series there seems to always be portrayed a sense of masculinity gone wrong or hypermasculinity. Along with others, though primarily in the comic series of both Batman and of Spiderman, this specific form of masculinity being shown to the children is expressed through a relationship between the superhero, and the law. In the end, comic books become what is essentially a display case for the extremes of masculinity and manhood, which is what the children that read...
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...MASCULINITY: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A VISUAL ARTIFACT Visual Culture Essay 2 Module 2 Wessel Viljoen 090029 Genieve Eloff Thursday 14h00 Word Count = 860 TABLE OF CONTENT Pages LIST OF FIGURES…………….....……………………………………………iii 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………..1 1.1 What is Musculinism…………………………..………………………..1 1.2 Branded Masculinity…………………………………………………….1 2. MASCULINISM AND ADVERTISING………………………………………...2 3. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………..3 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………...4 LIST OF FIGURES Page Fig 1 Old Spice, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, 2010. ………………….2 INTRODUCTION 1.1 What is masculinism? Masculinity is a word that describes an idea generated by the media of what it entails to be a man. According to Cohen(2001:5) “a gender is formed by shared beliefs or models of gender that majority of society accepts as appropriate”. Gender ideals are socially constructed in specific historical and cultural context and changes over time and location. As identified by Brannon (1976) being a hegemonic masculine male entails four main themes: (i) No Sissy Stuff: men must never resemble women or display stereotypical characteristics of a woman. Kimmel (2001:35) suggests that “Homophobia is a centralised principle of our cultural definition of manhood.” (ii) The Big Wheel: the ability of real men to obtain wealth, fame, success and status. Typically determined by occupation. (iii) The Sturdy Oak: manliness...
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...public discussion to differentiate the gender identity and biological sex. By definition, the term “biological sex”represents the true meaning of an individual sex status. Gender, on the other hand, has multiple interpretations between men, women and what comes in beetween through social development and “nurture” of cultural adoption. Money and Erhardt (1972) suggest that biological gender is what a person perceives or assumes to expose and reveal that “he” or “she” has the sexual status of being male or female. Gender is more than that. It has more complexity that represents way of thinking, ideas, styles, patterns, habits, and many other aspects beyond biological sex status. One notion argues that gender in an essence is natural, stable and something given by God, which means that gender cannot be changed. Most scholars would perceive such theory as Gender Classification by Nature. Other argue that gender is a result of modification and influence of the shape of social institution that constructs and develops its profile on an individual. Thus, gender is based on social-view perception instead of being given and determined biologically. Gender also is recongnised as being derived from Nurture (Nurture Theory). This essays attempts to discuss the application of the above mentioned theories and ideas related to the writer’s social environment and cultural background in Indonesia, where gender is considered as a term derived naturally from God and granted as it is through...
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...Gender is a common topic in society, it has essential role in people’s lives. The word gender can relate to sex, but sex is biological differences between men and women while gender refers to cultural and social differences between men and women. Masculinity is a part of gender, it is a set of qualities, characteristics or roles generally considered typical of a man. There are many different kinds of masculinities, each one can represent a group of man. This essay will critically analyze the characters of masculinities in light of gender relations, and use the film, Billy Elliot to support the argument. In this film, Billy’s father, Jackie is a traditional man. He had traditional thought of the society and could not accept some new ideas. He thought a real man should do football or boxing rather than ballet, so he objected Billy to learn ballet. (Billy Elliot, 2000). Not Billy’s father, but also his brother Tony, has the traditional thought as his father. The important reason is that both Tony and Jackie are miners, they should take responsibility of the family. They had heavy pressure from their works, so they became more aggressive and are more close to macho. Coal-mining is essentially based on physical strength, coal-mining community can be seen as patriarchal society. So they had power to make decisions in family. Patriarchy is a social system in which the male is the primary authority figure central to social organization and father hold authority over women and children...
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... The definition behind feminism could be opinionated, however it can be filled with facts and information back tracking as far as the Industrial Revolution (as well the French Revolution.). The Concept of Feminism is the equality of Men and Women within society and culture, but how does it fit in our current culture values within this day and age? With statements and an analysis from Mies, Gauntlett and MacInnes, the base of feminism is elaborated from ethics, actions taken and the touch on masculinity and its background towards Feminism. As more shall be elaborated in discussion, the first key pointer being what is Feminism, this has always been a sensitive topic to touch, and more women are growing with the image behind, but are women losing the true sense of being liberated? Or are they the main cause of their chains being re-shackled? In achievement of this research the outcome will be how Mass Media has contributed highly in this regard, there has been a huge influence of how a “real woman” is supposed to be like, the way she is supposed to dress, cook, be in a position of corporate power, and still stand behind the pots and hold the vacuum arch. This will be emphasized into more detail on how Susan Faludi embraces the Backlash of Feminism, and how Gauntlett’s view on Mass Media has a huge impact on the Women’s Society as whole, especially making pointers on equality and inequality. Mass media has embarked a large influence in continuing the subordination in the consumer...
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...for murder and anger as the solution to the neurosis of black people. In particular, he says to Lula, “You don't know anything except what's there for you to see. An act. Lies. Device. Not the pure heart, the pumping black heart.” That statement obviously shows a form of black identity, but to argue that this is the central message of the play, does not make sense. To many’s disbelief, Dutchman is not about a search for blackness and defining a socially distinct identity, it is about becoming a man in America. Masculinity defines the ideologies of black nationalists during this time and this is the character that Jones/Baraka is trying to articulate in Dutchman. In Dutchman, Lula and Clay mention the topic of manhood during the dialogue on the train. Clay questions what they are going to talk about “endlessly” and Lula replies “your manhood”. From this exchange in conversation, we can see that Baraka is trying to construct and define black “manhood”. This type of masculinity can be described as tough, assertive, uncompromising and virile in addition to separating ones self from weak and effeminized men. Baraka and the leaders of the Black Power movement associated themselves with such definitions of manhood in order to recuperate some degree of power over long time notions of subordination created by racism. In Clay’s monologue we see how he rejects and separates himself from the less masculine men. Amidst his rant of telling Lula how he is going to kill her, he also threatens...
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...Based on research from official statistics, there is clear evidence that in most countries, men commit far more criminal acts than women. For example, by their 40th birthday, approximately one in three males have a conviction of some kind, where as one in ten females have been convicted. This essay will explore the fundamental reasons as to why there is such difference between crime rates concerning men and women. It will also analyse theories from different sociologists including Carlen, Heidensohn and Lombroso. The statistics show how recorded crime comes predominately from males. This type of research reveals that males are responsible for approximately four know offences for every one committed by women, they are more likely to be repeated offenders as well as committing, in general, more serious offences. It also found that men are many times more likely to be found guilty of cautioned for offending. For example, men are 50 times more likely to be convicted for sex offences, approximately 8 times more likely to be found guilty for robbery and drug offences, and 5 times more likely to be convicted for violence against a person. Otto Pollack (1950) argues that official statistics regarding gender and crime are misleading, arguing that they do not account for the true extent of female criminality. He suggests that there are a number of crimes that females are more likely to commit than males. He states that nearly all shoplifting offences and criminal abortions are committed...
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... This was until David Fincher took Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club and made it into a big budget Hollywood blockbuster. With the male demographic being the hardest to pinpoint in the literature sense, David Fincher’s adaptation helpfully put Palahniuk’s thoughts into the cinematic forefront. This increased the popularity of Palahniuk’s other works and placed him in the cannon of Post-modern American fiction. It is the issues of modern masculinity that grasps critics’ attention more so than any other Palahniuk themes. It is very apparent that masculinity has changed as a natural progression of modernisation. This dissertation will analyse masculinity as it is depicted in Palahniuk’s writings and explore Palahniuk’s intentions and beliefs. I will interpret the responses of select critics in order to gain some understanding of what Palahniuk deems to be the ideal model of masculinity in the modern world, beneath his post-modern twists, transgressive characterization and vecernal style. This discussion will attempt to uncover what Palahniuk portrays as the cause of emasculation, if anything at all. To begin I will discuss the excess of recent decades and how it has effected men’s lifestyle, in reference to money, media, consumerism and access to information. Following on from this I will discuss Palahniuk’s exploration of sex and sexuality in order to gain...
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...In my film analysis essay, I want to discuss about the aboriginal “blackfellas” in Australia, and further the masculinity in the company of the “father and son” relationship which are presented in this film. Mad Bastards, a Paramount Pictures film which was filmed in 2010, written and directed by Brendan Fletcher, and starred by Dean Daley-Jones, Lucas Yeeda, and Greg Tait. In addition, Mad Bastards had been nominated for 12 awards, and had won two. Besides, Mad Bastards was an official selection of 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival is an American film festival held annually in Utah, and is the largest independent film festival in the US for American and international independent filmmakers. The festival covers competitive...
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...female . This essay will be taking a look at various films from different time periods and analyze the way that women are portrayed. The research will focus on how feminine characteristics are considered inferior, women being portrayed as sexual objects, the importance of looking at issues that women face in, also taking a look at stereotypes that don’t seem to be going away regardless of when the films are made. This essay will focus on the evolution of film and how it represents modern day society. It will explore both the negative and positive aspects of the evolution of how women are...
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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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...the novel. The narrator and other main character Tyler Durden share the feeling that civilization has emasculated men and, “What you see at fight club is a generation of men raised by women” (Palahniuk 50). The author shows the reader many themes by describing overly vivid motifs that represent them. Motifs are images that show up throughout a work. Fight Club uses motifs of downward movement and disintegration to point to the larger themes of emasculation, self-destruction and rejection of civilization. Motifs of downward movement in the novel make visible many of the cultural norms, by which the narrator feels extremely emasculated. Not only do cultural norms make him feel emasculated, but also being surrounded by men who don't typically fit the definition of a man. The narrator himself doesn’t fit the definition of a typical man. He works a cubicle 9 to 5 job that is split with being sent all across the country like a carrier pigeon, evaluating insurance claims on failed safety equipment in cars that have already been subject to horrible life threatening accidents. Emasculation hits the narrator when he feels like it pointless to die in a body without few scars. The narrator says, “It’s nothing anymore to have a beautiful stock body. You see those cars that are completely stock cherry, right out of the dealer’s showroom in 1955, I always think, what a waste” (Palahniuk 48). The narrator makes a point by showing the waste done to a perfect untouched car compared to the same...
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...became the first open gay player to enter the NFL draft and eventually would be selected in the draft by the St. Louis Rams. He announced he was gay back in February and ever since them he was the main focal point of the NFL up until the Draft. The main point of this paper is to take basic ideologies such as masculinity, violence, Race, Gender, sexuality or meritocracy, and use these ideologies to analyze how the media portrays Michael Sam. Another point that will be touched upon is how the news media and sport media have different ways of portraying Michael Sam in the media. Methods: The first thing I did to conduct my research was to find 10 media sources that were related to how the media portrayed Michael Sam. In these 10 media sources I was looking for different types of ideologies and how the media used these articles to describe Michael Sam. Once I found 10 media Articles I needed to find 2 more Academic articles. It was going to be hard to find an Academic article on Michael Sam because he announced he was gay in February, so I improvised. When searching for my academic articles I searched for sources that would be associated with Michael Sam such as black masculinity, or an article on changing the way sport reporters examine gay athletes. These articles don’t necessarily talk about Michael Sam but they help give a better...
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...regarding how society chooses to entertain itself. The philosophers were pointing out at the violent cockfights and its violent influence towards the people who were watching. The similar issue is concerning our society in the 21sth century. The only difference is that the cockfights were replaced with media violence. This has been a raising concept since the invention of television and introduction of the video games. This essay will discuss the validity of the claim that media violence causes aggressive behavior on the juvenile audience. The paper will firstly show the correlation studies and experimental studies about media violence and its influence on children. It will then move to other reasons which causes the aggressive behavior. Finally, this essay will also examine the influence of aggressive video games on players. Children found a new environment of amusement after the television came on the scene. They were exposed to large number of new programs. Even if there was a potential peril to juveniles, people were not aware of what sorts of programs or what quantities of it were dangerous. At that time there was not enough proof that violence programs was the cause of aggression (Carter& Strickland, 1993). Thus, the researchers began to conduct various kinds of research and studies to prove the correlation between the media violence and the aggressive behavior among juveniles. The early correlations studies found that there were some differences between the viewers and non...
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...prediction that feminists would take to the warpath against his writings on the women arguing that Freud’s theories are “rife” with masculine prejudice (11). Other credible books, such as Samuel Slipp’s The Freudian Mystique raise important questions on Freud’s theories of feminism. Why did Freud make such grossly biased and incorrect statements about women, while in other areas he was a very perceptive and accurate observer? Slipp argues that it was Freud’s genius and his monumental discoveries in other areas of mental functioning that lent credibility to his theories on women (12). Some of the earliest disagreements about Freud’s feminine psychology had been voiced by the German female psychoanalyst Karen Horney. Horney composed a series of essays between 1922 and 1935 arguing against...
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