Gender And Masculinity: A Discursive Approach

Connell (1995) developed this concept to describe how masculinities are always relational and, thus, one’s identity is continually constructed in relation to “otherness.” Crucially, Connell sees masculinity as integrally connected with power and constantly negotiated.

Society faces an issue that is not usually addressed because it is seen as the norm in today’s American culture. It is the crisis of masculinity. The notion of how men should be portrayed is not usually identified as a problem; today’s society views men’s apathetic and exasperated exterior as the orthodox behavior of everyday life. Boys at a young age are taught by the popular culture that they need to be a “real man” - strong physically and emotionally. The mask many men put up is based on the extreme idea of masculinity that emphasizes toughness, physical strength and gaining the respect of others through violence or the explicit threat of it. This front is put up by men because they do not want to stray from what is accepted, for men who

In Michael Kimmel’s non-fiction academic book chapter: “Bros Before Hos: The Guycode” is an excerpt from his critically acclaimed book Guyland released in 2008, that addresses the ideals and fundamentals of where masculinity stems from and society’s direct effect on young men and the creation of the modern day masculine male. Michael Kimmel’s combination of credible resources, informative personal research, and real-life personal narratives that help to establish and support his strong and feasible argument, of societies effect on male masculinity, that readers alike can relate to and understand.

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)

One of the key concepts detailed by Pringle (2007), is the idea of hegemonic masculinity, which was originally coined by Connell (1995). Connell suggest that the concepts of hegemony and masculinity have been intertwined, which has created a social form of a masculine ideal, developed around male dominance, power and patriarchy over groups who are deemed “weaker” such as women and homosexual men. Hegemonic masculinity is essentially a socially elite or desirable status, with which the “performance of ‘masculinity’” can be legitimately practised within society.

Throughout the history of the world, and specifically in the United States, the pressure that has been forced onto men in society has not only had a significant impact on the people themselves but in society as well. This can be seen through America’s history, the evolution of men and masculinity and even reflected through the development and growth of women and women’s roles in history. The expectation placed on men to conform to what would be considered masculine in that era was an extremely important factor in a young man’s life. This pressure was enforced not only by society but by men themselves who held each other to a specific and high standard. In order to understand the role that men play in society and the ideology of masculinity,

At the present time, there seems to be a blurred line between ideal and practiced masculinities. Across different cultures and even ethnicities, the definitions of masculinity tend to differ, hence the plurality of masculinity. For example, “the stereotype of the Latino male centers on machismo“, the display of strong and aggressive masculinity” (Masculinities 1: Ethnic Identities and Men’s Ways of Being), whereas African-American’s masculinities developed a masculine gender identity known as the “cool pose, which enhanced their social competence, pride, dignity, self-esteem, and respect” (Masculinities 1). Even though the experience of each individual person may have been different, it is evident that both of these expressions of masculinity,

The necessity to classify ourselves and others on the selected principles of our associated gender is a directing factor of interpersonal interaction throughout humankind. Particularly, the structure of gender among males has assisted in the strengthening of the destructive attributes related to hegemonic masculinity. In other words, structural ideals of gender among males solidify the position of male social dominance over women. These adverse features may directly be related to a rise in gendered violence and other aggressive acts committed by men.

I like that this reading provided history of hegemonic masculinity and provided the theories of the ever changing term. Something that stood out to me was the idea that, we need to distinguish between "patriarchy and gender" (Holter, 1997,2003). I think that a lot of people to connect the two terms, we I think of patriarchy I think of power over the female gender. When it's slightly more than that. I think that men conform to masculinity and all of the socially constructed attributes just as much as women conform to femininity. I feel that once we drop the image of the ideal man or woman the issues of masculinity and femininity won't be as big of an issue. The two attributes seem to be directly linked to heterosexual attraction. Once our society stops selling this idea of attractiveness in a fixed category in media we can start shaping our own ideas. And there will be more room for people to be non

Magazine stands are full of men without their shirts showing off their six-pack” (Edwards, 2006, pg.1) this quote is exploring the idea of how body image of males influences masculinity. It is evident through the content analysis that the media with the use of advertisements has the ability to portray specific body images of men and is promoting the ideal body and as a result is contributing to the social construction of masculinity. Social norms and the social construction of masculinity can vary depending on ethnicity. This is because “there is diversity in how to be a man so the social construction of masculinity in different contexts”

In order to fully understand a more in depth evaluation of both why and how men conform to this social phenomenon, one must know how hegemonic masculinity is defined. This term was made popular by Connell’s work Gender and Power which critiqued the male social role and how hegemonic masculinity has developed (Connell 830). Scholars agree that hegemonic masculinity is characterized by “being emotionally detached and

Masculinity is a term that is often associated with strength, power, control, and dominance in men. However, many texts support the claim that masculinity can be perceived as “socially constructed” and available for systematic discrepancy, similar to femininity. For example, in Michael Kimmel’s “Men, Masculinity, and the Rape Culture,” Kimmel identifies the “traditional masculinity” in which men exclusively can experience the “right to manhood” and the “dare and aggression” that is rightfully theirs (Kimmel, 142).

AsTrujillo (1991, pp. 291-292) put it, hegemonic masculine characteristics include “power defined in terms of physical force and control,” success defined in terms of occupational achievement in traditional male jobs, familial patriarchy, presenting a “frontier” image, and heightened heterosexuality. Distinctive characteristics of masculinity are strength, independence, decisiveness, while the remarked characteristics of women are weak, dependence, sensitive in negative terms and compassionate, supportive, and relationship oriented in positive terms.

Masculinity, a seemingly simple concept. Yet, when examined more closely, it is clear that masculinity is constantly changing in its definition as well as in its most basic essence. Throughout the years, one can see this evolution firsthand by looking back at the men who have been portrayed in popular media in the United States of America. From the suave Don Draper types of the 1950s to the more casual, educated, and easygoing men- with perfectly chiseled abs, of course- that are portrayed in media today, the difference is clear. This drastic, yet unsurprising, shift in ideals, as well as the exponential increase of media consumed every day, has led to a change in how “masculinity” is perceived, as well as how it is enforced by society in the modern day. Alarmingly, this trend has led to the birth of so-called “toxic masculinity”, a bastardization of the original ideas behind masculinity which has created an enormous, detrimental effect on society as a whole. As defined in the article The Difference Between Toxic Masculinity and Being a Man, toxic masculinity is “manhood as defined by violence, sex, status, and aggression. It’s the cultural ideal of manliness, where strength is everything… where sex and brutality are yardsticks by which men are measured,” (O’Malley) This is a clearly displayed truth, and it’s astounding to see how even from a young age boys are taught not to show emotions other than anger, conditioned to believe that being “like a girl” is the worst possible

In contemporary society, hegemonic masculinity is defined by physical strength and boldness, heterosexuality, economic independence, authority over women and other men, and an interest in sexual relationships. While most men do not embody all of these qualities, society supports hegemonic masculinity within all its institutions, including the educational institute, the religious institute and other institutes which form the ideological state apparatus.