Dr. Kathleen Young 's Words

I appreciate the author’s attempt to fully submerse herself back into an adolescent mindset in order to understand the complex issues of masculinity, sexuality and gender

Teenage rebellion is typically portrayed in stories, films, and other genres as a testosterone-based phenomenon. There is an overplayed need for one to acknowledge a boy’s rebellion against his father, his life direction, the “system,” in an effort to become a man, or rather an adult. However, rarely is the female addressed in such a scenario. What happens when little girls grow up? Do they rebel? Do they, in a sudden overpowering rush of estrogen, deny what has been taught to them from birth and shed their former youthful façades? Do they turn on their mothers? In Sharon Olds’ poem, “The Possessive,” the reader is finally introduced to the female version of the popular coming-of-age theme as a simple

In Guyland, Michael Kimmel chronicles the journey of young males and the issues they face while trying to exert their masculinity and prove themselves to their peers. Based on interactions among North American males between the ages of 16 and 26, Kimmel has found that at an age where young men had previously prepped for a life of work and committed relationships, they are now living in “Guyland” where they spend their time drinking, playing video games, and having immature relations with women. Kimmel explains that these young men are “frighteningly dependent on peer culture” and “desperate to prove their masculinity in the eyes of other boys.” (30) These young men live in constant fear that they will not measure up to the ideals of

Katz explains how the media plays a crucial roll in constraining men to see violent masculinity as the cultural norm. Katz takes examples like John Wayne and Rocky, to show how this is what our society agrees to be a bad ass. Men act different when they are around their friends and others. Our society has defined what it is to be a man, I can speak from experience that when I am around my mother I am a completely different person, than when I am around my friends. Like the study we talked about in class, where when two boys were placed in the same room alone, one boy will try and take leadership of the other.

Cultural attitudes towards masculinity have transformed in recent years. Boys are taught the “values” of this attitude early on and it is reinforced throughout their lives. As a result of these changes, the pressure to display and assert one’s masculinity has been amplified. The “traditional” definition of masculinity requires males to establish homophobic attitudes, be clean shaven anywhere below the neck (much like women) and have rippling muscles. These expectations can greatly affect a boy’s self-esteem and well-being as he is growing up in a society that is increasingly obsessing over the concept of the “ideal man.”

presenting sexist relationships, physical expectations, and violence and dominance to represent power, young boys are left feeling emotionally unattached and physically inadequate.

Tough Guise did a remarkable job of addressing the problems society faces unconsciously by trying to attain dominance and gain acceptance in the social hierarchy of present times. The narrator of the film, Jackson Katz, touches upon various ways masculinity is perceived and gained. In one section of the movie, the topic of how culture influences young men is analyzed thoroughly and gives insight on what we unconsciously process. For example, hypermasculinity shows how many men strive for dominance such as a having a cool pose or behavior. Katz uses multiple sources as examples for his arguments, some of which are how minorities play a role in the media, how sexual abuse is normalized in the younger generations, and how violent crimes feed some people’s hunger for masculine acceptance and dominance.

Hollywood is presenting a new generation of young people a distorted reality of masculinity. Anthony Patsalou investigates this façade of onscreen manliness.

What does it mean to be a man or woman, girl or boy? Who creates these gender constraints and reinforces these roles within a society? Gender is a social construct that is manufactured by the media in order to guide the masses towards thinking and behaving in a way that is perceived to be accurate. “Gender is not something we are born with, and not something we have, but something we do—something we perform” (Eckert and McConnell-Ginet 1). “[It] is the very process of creating a dichotomy by effacing similarity and elaborating on difference” (5). In essence, society believes men and women are to act a certain way and deviating from these societal norms is unacceptable. Traditionally, women were to be docile, domestic, beautiful, frail, and submissive beings in need of protection and guidance from their strong, intelligent, powerful, and dominating male counterparts. Women are groomed to be housewives. Men are destined to be providers and soldiers. In this essay, I will explore the ways in which the animated Disney film Mulan represents conventional gender roles, yet also features a heroine who opposes this categorization by rejecting the typical female stereotype and demonstrating that women are equal to men—she sets a powerful example for women that resonates with me to this day.  Disney’s Mulan is the tale of one woman’s quest to save her handicapped father from dying at war by

The gender stereotypes, which are constructed by our society, formulate what is required to “be a man”. The desired stereotypical trait of masculinity is a well-established male characteristic, which is vital to fit with assigned gender norms. It is perceived as desirable attribute among society, when in actuality may be causing harm with how it is shaping younger generations. The gender characteristic of masculinity and the attributes required to make a man, have been causing various mental health issues among males. The mental heath issues caused by masculinity are discussed in the movie, The Masks You Live in. Through the ideas of The Mask You Live in, this paper will discuss toxic norms associated with masculinity, how they are

Hurled insults grow worse, and sexism is embedded in the American nation, as well as in the English language. The dictionary gorges itself on demeaning words only directed towards females. Belittling expressions of sexuality have been tailored to women, binding them in a corset, while their male counterparts are celebrated for their own sexual conquests. Females are taught to suppress sexuality and are shamed for showing sexual independence, while males are praised for the same actions which are demonized for the woman. Only males are permitted to get further in life according to this language. Culturally we chose words which are inherently sexist, and yet people do not see it as an issue. A male who engages in generous amounts of sexual activity is classified as a ‘player’ or someone who has ‘game.’ This gives a female a new label, a toy or a play-thing just for a man’s whims. When a female engages in generous amounts of sexual activity she is looked down upon and instead of gaining positive nicknames she is branded as ‘sleazy’ or easy. The ease in which women can be defined with a negative attribute for the same actions that a man performs proves the double standard in the renaming of sexes. The sister tries to stand tall, and she straps on her armour. She wears weapons on her feet giving her the illusion of a woman of power and strength. However when she looks up the th realization rings clear. The heels have gifted her an aura of power, but by their design she is trapped in a slow pace, left behind by her

Gendered Stereotypes EssayWhy do gendered stereotypes even exist? What are gendered stereotypes? Gendered stereotypes are when people dierentiate between boys and girls. Although it is known that gender equality exists in some partsof the world, people continue to spread messages of gendered stereotypes. Years and years have gone by and thousands of things have changed but there is still this one thing that stays stuck to the world, gendered stereotypes. Lots of stereotypes have continued to be created speci%cally forboys and girls. As children are growing they feel controlled when they’re told what to do or not to do. A large in'uence is caused by the parent/guardians, and the media. Society has set forward numerous gendered stereotypes which impact the growth of boys and girls negatively by causing unfair and unequal treatment.Society has speci%cally categorized personality traits for boys and girls.What they want to do or how they feel is not decided by them rather by the society. Boys are pictured in a way that there are “strong” in lots of dierent ways. Everyone thinks boys should be doing things that’s require strength, oris outside the house and no matter how they feel that should always “be a man” and not share their feelings. This turns out to be very pressurizing and compels them to not give up. On the opposite side when you think of girls you would think of the being delicate, soft-hearted and that aects the way you would treat girls. Girls are meant to be working at home, taking care of kids, in which they would stay safe. Unlike boys, girls are very open to their friends with sharing they feelings and majority of the time girls always gossipabout things going on in life which makes them feel less stressed. In the novel, Amy’s father Mr. Sumoto wasn’t happy with the fact that Hideo stays in the kitchen most of the time and Sue goes out or just chills. In another part of the book, the author wrote that Adam was asking Amy to type his paper and she agreed to do so but if it was the opposite I doubt Adam would do so. There’s always a saying going around, “Snip and snails, and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of,” and “Sugar and spice and all the nice things, that’s what girls are

We know from Holt & Thompson’s writing that men consume their particular brand of masculinity, and this “loveable loser anti-hero” is no exception. Korobov’s approach to understanding emerging masculinities through discursive analysis is fascinating -- although observing actual human behaviour can be considered far more accurate, the ways in which we speak about things have a certain creative power. The things that we say off the cuff are often an accurate reflection of the culture we live in. In Korobov’s study, he explained that he did his best to create an environment where young men’s discourse could emerge naturally, but we know intuitively that such an attempt is fraught with many difficulties which can include observer bias, impression management, and

Masculinity, and hyper masculinity is broadly concerned towards the social construction to what it means to “be a man”. Many successful films will always be based around the idea white male and the “11 validated scales of masculine conformity and one global index “(P.5). These elevens are main focuses CMNI look for; they are “(a)winning, (b)emotional Control, (c)Risk-Taking, (d)Violence, (e)dominance, (f)Playboy, (g)Self-Reliance, (h)Primacy of Work, (i)Power Over Women, (j)Disdain from Homosexuals, and (k)Pursuit of status” (PP 13); many are blind sighted by the ideal of finding a man under that has less then five masculinity scale traits. The three main trait n making of a man is dominance, status, and Physical strength/ physique. Status and pursuit in status is exceptional success and/or reference to an exceptional desire for

Why is it that, the path from boyhood to manhood is built up around harmful words? These phrases often alter our perception of what it means to “be a man”. It makes us think that being a man means don’t be emotional, don’t sympathize, don’t express yourself. These gender stereotypes set limits on personality and restricts mental health awareness.