Literature Review : Bros Before Hoes : The Guy Code

Compare the ways in which the authors of two texts explore how society treats people who are different.

Kimmel exposes many believes in which society tries to establish how boys have to behave during their childhood and youth to prove that they are masculine during their adult life’s in his “Bros Before Hos” article. He states that boys have been raised to abide by certain codes, for example, “Boys don’t cry” or “Taking it like a man” to be fully functional male adults. He also states that when men try to deter from the “code” they are automatically labeled as weak or turning their backs on their own kind. Although I agree with many of the points he makes, I will have to disagree when he implies that not much has changed in the aspect of men standing up for themselves or being themselves in fear of being out casted. I

This is because the society empowered men with the power to rebuke anything that they consider to have crossed the boundaries of manhood that have been put in place by the society. Optimally, when one steps outside the definition of what the society considers to be masculine then are likely to be taunted by a barricade of insults like faggot, dork, pussy etc. These insults are often trying to take away the manhood of a person to reprimand them for going out of the confines of what is socially acceptable for men. For instance, wearing pink shirts does not make one any less of a man, but since the society has created this notion that pink is for women, men have been forced to conform, and anyone who goes against these social constrictions is considered feminine or gay. Kimmel claims that anything that is perceived as gay often goes into the Negative Playbook of Guyland. To be on the safe side of the society, one has to avoid anything that might make people question their masculinity. What Kimmel is trying to argue is that masculinity is all about conformity; one has to learn to act and behave per the societal expectations of a man. This argument further proves the fact that masculinity is a social construction in which men are forced to conform to norms and values of the society for them to be considered

In the article “Bros before Hos: The Guy Code”, by Michael Kimmel he writes about many different standards and ideals that young men must live up to, to be accepted in today’s society. The article talks about genders, at different ages sixteen to twenty six and how it is directed towards anyone that wants to know more about genders and how it can relate to masculinity and men. It was also based off of a book that he had written in the late two- thousands. According to (Kimmel) young men must live and abide, by a set of rules known as the spectacular “Guy Code”. The “Guy Code” was created to help understand why young men feel and act the way they do, and how masculinity may be perceived in their cultures. The code has been instilled into many young men around the world by their peers, family, and media at the age of four, or maybe even when a child has developed somewhat of a understanding. Being taught how to be masculine at a very young age is important to teach your child, it helps them discover who they are as a person, and who they are supposed to be perceived as, and how to find their inner virility as a young male. Kimmel also uses exemplification to help explain how the “Guy Code” is a collection of attitudes, values, and many traits that are together to help compose what it really means to be a man. The code lets us know how men are not suppose to cry, and how they are not suppose to be or act like sissies. But how men must be very

They are taught from a young age to man up and be tough in the world. The guy code inforces showing emotion to the public to be very looked upon very heavily. Kimmel inquired that “ No Wonder boys are more prone to depression, suicidal behavior, and various forms of out - of control behaviors than girls are “ (54). In my opinion, I interpret Kimmel’s quote, as he is saying for the constant pressure to follow the code, men are constantly troubled to perfect their self-image from it. Although, Kimmel is addressing how the code only pertains to males, he also is saying that men are actually sensitive, even although in society and in the code, that its not a visible thing for men to be seen emotional and sad, thus this why he makes the point to why men suffer more hurtful with their emotions around others. This is a major problem because men will seek out other ways that can harm them, instead of being able to admit their problems in front of others, despite breaking the code. It's no surprise that men are mainly the ones to not show emotions in public and others, only when in comedy movies or such, its seen more historical and groundbreaking, to witness men show their emotions. Kimmel’s statement is very powerful and makes me believe that there should be something done to break the stigma that men should be allowed to show

The myth that boys in today’s society are encouraged to follow this “Guy Code” in order to be accepted amongst their peers, friends and family members can cause great emotional side effects. In “Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code” by Michael Kimmel, he did a survey amongst college campuses and the question was simple “what is a man?” and the responses were pretty predictable. A few phrases stood out amongst this “Real Guys Top Ten List”: “ Boys Don’t Cry”, “Size Matters” and “Take It Like A Man” (Kimmel 462). All these phrases feed into this myth that men are to be aggressive and strong at all times. This “Guy Code” that is spoken of is a gathering of values, attitudes and traits that describe what a man is to be (Kimmel 462). Boys in todays day

Kimmel discusses about the assumed principles of masculinity that American culture establishes on younger men. These principles are said to be the norm to what any man would believe, such as the phrases “Boys Don’t cry”, “Don’t Get Mad – Get Even”, and “never show your

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.

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

When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they must comply in order to be part of the pack, to fit in.

In, Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code, Michael Kimmel investigates the values of men. The ideal young man is imposed to live up to society’s expectations through a set of rules called the “guy code” which is instilled into him during adolescence. Family, friends, and the media teach young men how they should act and feel since the guy code is what culture perceives as masculinity. Moreover, Kimmel defines the guy code as “a collection of attitudes, values, and traits that together compose what it means to be a man.” Men are not to cry, men must be strong, men must achieve great feats and obtain wealth and power; these examples of the code are well represented through media as well as the community. For example, men in movies as well as in society

Literature is the window to realizing the negatives of society and how destructive certain norms can be. Readers are brought into a completely different story than their own, but by using similar issues in today’s world, the readers can actually learn from the story and its overall message. All writers write for a purpose, whether it’s for a new meaning to life, to live a different life than our own, or to impact others on an emotional level by teaching them to see the importance of the little things. As a reader, you search for pieces of literature that interest you whether you find the story like your own, or wish you lived the life in the story. By using issues in today’s within their works, authors are able to grab the reader's attention long enough for them to get across what they wanted to get across. Often in many works of literature, writers use societal issues as their basis for the work’s themes and symbols. By doing so, this allows the reader to question the morality behind social norms and how impactful certain ideals can be in people’s lives.

In Kimmel’s article, the purpose is to inform young men that the “Guy Code” is not the way to prove masculinity, and can be dangerous in doing so (Kimmel 483). Kimmel presents to his readers that society’s understanding of man-hood is foolish through various interviews with different guys (Kimmel 479). One interview Kimmel did was with Mike, a 20 year old at Wake Forest (Kimmel 479). Mike says, “My older brothers were always on my case, calling me a pussy if I didn’t want to play football or wrestle (par 10).” Through listening and understanding Mike's interview one could find it offensive the way his brothers were calling him a “pussy” just because he did not want to play football or wrestle, which

“Friend stopped, stood still, and braed himself.. see I’m no chicken” (Katz 221). Male maturation is a very complex sophisticated process. In “How Boys Become Men” Jon Katz takes on the challenge and head ache of analyzing this process. He explains how learning one of the central ethics of the gender is experiencing pain rather than showing fear and emotion. We do so by taken on challenges because we feel obligated to in front of our friends in order to not look cowardly. How we demonstrate machismo and lack commitment, how we do whatever we can to fit into the society around us and are willing to do anything just to resemble coolness and absolutely no tolerability of getting pushed around. It called Guy Code, a set of

Many things are important to us, one of these is being accepted by our society. We all hate to be the outsider or the new kid, because we feel alone and secluded . In “Who Am I This Time?';, Helene Shaw’s job kept her moving to a different town every eight weeks. She became very cold to her