Definition Essay On Masculinity

Historically, masculinity in the United States has been constructed as being White Protestant Anglo-Saxon, furthermore heterosexual and in charge of all matters, and this definition sets standards against which other men are measured an evaluated. Michael Kimmel provides a good definition:

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word Masculine as “Male: having qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man” (Merriam-Webster). While another source, the popular comedic Urban Dictionary, presents a more satirical definition of the word Masculine, "Often defined as aggressive, strong, and unfeeling or stoic. Being masculine means in modern times, at least, no shows of emotion, no flamboyance, no hugging or even looking at other men, must be interested in sports and physical/violent activity” (Urban Dictionary). Obviously the Urban Dictionary is a comedic source and should not hold the same weight as the definition that comes from the academic source of Merriam-Webster, but the truth that is within the comedy, the absurd structure of what a man should be, is brought out into the light. A question many before us and many after us have and will attempt to answer is how is masculinity defined? The unfortunately anticlimactic answer to this is that masculinity is simply what a man chooses to do. In a world of both gender inequity and rapidly shifting gender roles, the term masculinity is becoming more and more simple in definition. In a video made by the Huffington Post to show how modern men described the word masculine, most used dominant diction such as “power,” “dominance,” “strong,” and “alpha” (Genuske). It wasn 't long ago when the word Presidential was synonym to masculine, but with the upcoming 2016 election and the first female to run for a

The definition of masculinity; Is the fact of being a man or having qualities considered typical of a man.

Masculinity has changed very little over time. By definition, to be masculine is to be tough, having little or no emotion, and having great physical strength and endurance. Men are thought to be natural leaders and should accept the role of dominating the household (both his wife and children. “Inequality between women and men is a worldwide social phenomenon”. (Schaefer, R., 2012. p354)

At the break of the day I wake up before the sun has even settled itself back into the sky, I repeat my dreary morning routine, and I go somewhere. I go somewhere by myself, quite alone, maybe in my car, maybe just for a walk around the neighborhood. While I’m out on my walk or after I’ve driven somewhere and gotten out of my car (that seriously needs a run through the car wash), I become aware. I become vividly aware of all the people around me and feel unsafe, I feel unsafe in my own neighborhood because I heard a woman was held at gunpoint not far from here, I feel unsafe because I’ve binge watched Criminal Minds and I know how easy it is for unsuspecting women who feel safe in public, at stores and in parking lots, to be abducted.

To read Babio without recognizing the gender politics at work in the play would disregard much of how the play itself creates meaning. So much of the play’s plot and character dynamics are related to the way gender functions in this play. One major theme of Babio is the idea of masculinity and how masculinity is defined. Through the portrayal of Babio as an effeminate character, Babio is able to define masculinity through absences in Babio’s Character. Consequently, Babio makes the additional point that lovesickness is not an intrinsic aspect of medieval masculinity, despite the fact that love sickness is often attributed to men.

What defines masculinity is the traits and values that are considered to characterise the male gender at any given time. Consequently, the definition of masculinity keeps changing as people change their views of what characteristics a man should require. The biggest influence of the definition of masculinity is media. It is where we receive information about what is “normal” and “cool”. Films and television shows have a huge impact on how we view the world and they can alter our opinions on different topics.

In American culture, society has views about how males and females should behave. Males are viewed as independent, rough, and tough while females are viewed as social, emotional, and delicate. Starting in 1792 with the publication of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, women began to advocate for changes in how society viewed them (“History of Women’s Suffrage”). American women made additional positive changes to the women’s rights movement when they gained the right to vote in 1920. Since these beginnings, women have continued to push for change. American women now have the right to wear pants, work, take on male occupations, and decide to remain single. Despite the advances made for females, males are still

A way we explain masculinity is the “Man Box” inside of the box is a list of socially valued roles and expectations that you associate masculinity with and the words outside of the box are used to confine boys into a very narrow definition of manhood. For example some of the words inside the box are: strong, tough, rugged, in control, powerful, muscular, and never show weakness. Examples of words outside of the box used to confine boys and men are: Queer, fag, pussy, wuss, homo, and mama’s boy. In this way, boys and men are often punished (by other boys and men) in a particularly gendered manner. For example, if boys and men do NOT meet the expectations of being a man they are often called homophobic and feminizing slurs.

The expectations that have been placed on men have caused a fragile idea of masculinity that is plaguing the world. Its forcing men to conform to some idea that isn’t even fully established. Toxic masculinity is also causing a variety of issues, starting with the LGBTQ community. The biggest issue straight men find with gay men, is surprisingly not the fact that they are attracted to the same sex but more on the stereotype that is attached with gay men. Gay men are attached with a more feminine, flamboyant characteristic, this idea and stereotype challenges the masculinity that has been imposed on men for centuries. With this conflict, straight men find gay men to be inferior, causing a rift in the way everyone treats the LGBTQ community. Furthermore, with this

In reading for this assignment, I noticed that one of the first points deals with the value of power. On pg 137 the author argues “The hegemonic definition of manhood is a man in power, a man with power, and a man of power. We equate manhood with being strong, successful, capable, reliable, in control.” This point means that to be categorized as a true man, one must fit the standards. In the beginning, the text gives an example of a set of “rules” established through a few common phrases which measure masculinity. This is important because it shows how masculinity is a constant test that men are trying to pass. It adds pressure to their identities and how they are perceived in society. Overall, this point was helpful in showing that men feel the need to have power in multiple ways, otherwise they are anything but masculine.

Historically, manhood and masculinity are based on traditions and norms that pressure men to be tough, hide their feelings, take control, and objectify sex. American society does not allow men to show vulnerability and considers outward displays of emotion as weakness. Thus, men view behaviors such as asking for help as a vulnerability and therefore a sign of weakness. This cult of masculinity is not real; it is a myth. It is a collection of cultural behaviors that are compromising men’s mental health. Men suffering from mental illness adhere to these masculine gender roles, refuse to admit the need for help and are less willing to seek psychological services. The irony though, is there is nothing weak about suffering from mental illness. I know because it is a feeling I experience every day. Anxiety, depression and PTSD literally make you feel as if you want to die. While considered mental illnesses, the pain these diseases inflict are sometime beyond the threshold of tolerance. Mental illness is a disease, but unlike diabetes or asthma, those suffering from it are stigmatized, often not believed, told to “get over it”, and described as “crazy”. The myth that men are expected to show strength, courage, and emotional toughness, to act ambitious, and be the providers leaves no room for the emotional growth that is needed to survive. These learned behaviors are stereotypes, and the backbone of male masculinity. While the myth of masculinity prevents men from seeking help

Standards of masculinity vary from time to time, from culture to culture. However, masculinity always defines itself as superior and different from femininity. For example, gay men and househusbands exemplify "subordinate" masculinities in our culture. They are not considered to be "real

The discourse of hegemonic masculinity was recently explored to understand the power of men in society (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). For centuries, men have taken a dominant gender role in society. This has resulted in the oppression of women and the subordination of men who do not confine to the ‘masculine’ norms (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). This essay explores the discourse of hegemonic masculinity by explaining how it is reflected throughout society, and how it is connected to femininity and other masculinities. The aim is to criticise hegemonic masculinity by explaining the negative pressure it puts on both women and men.

Given that the structure of gender qualities has been a large part of our views, in regards to a variety of issues, a number of people take exception to variances from within these rules. Keeping this in mind, we will discuss the reasons why many individuals are discouraged from crossing traditional gender traits, and closely examine parts of the article assigned for this paper.