Masculinity, Gender, And Masculinity

Pascoe discusses how masculinity can function as a regulatory mechanism of gender in American adolescent boys. It has been found that the word ‘fag’ is not necessarily directed at a homosexual boy, but has taken on a new meaning in school age boys. It is being used as a disciplinary mechanism to police certain behaviors “out of fear of having the fag identity permanently” (Pascoe p.330). This kind of teasing and harassment can temporarily be place on any boy who shows signs of weakness or femininity. The high schoolers in the study told Pascoe that calling someone a fag was like telling them they were nothing or stupid (Pascoe p. 335). Boys could be called a fag for anything that he did that was opposite of masculine, even when it had nothing to do with his sexual preference. The fag discourse seemed to be just another way for the contest of masculinity to take

In society, women are expected to be submissive, quiet, well mannered, and poised. The term “lady like” embodies these characteristics and is only applied to women. Men are expected to be dominant, strong, tall, and athletic. If a man does not have these qualities, he does not qualify as “masculine.” According to Carol Vance, author of Social Construction Theory and Sexuality, explains that femininity was achieved through socialization. This supports the claim that social construction demands women to act submissive and feminine. The expectations posed by social construction have a negative impact as they marginalize the LGBT community or any person who does fit these standards. This has caused issues such as bullying in schools which can lead to suicide. In this way, social construction forms a mold that men and women must feel the need to fit into out of the fear of being abnormal. From the evidence shown here, one can see how social construction does not positively impact sexuality and

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.

Male gender roles in contemporary media that are negatively portrayed through masculinity greatly effects the physical, psychological, and behavioral image of men. The social construct of masculinity in society and its relationship to males is generally reflected in male media consumption. The popular concept of women’s feminine image in the media is vastly overshadowed and more predominantly acceptable in subtle society in comparison to male’s image of masculinity.

Janet Mock not only feels the pressure from society, but also from her beloved family members. The important lesson her mother, grandmother and sister taught her in her early childhood is that hiding true identity can help her to keep away from laughter and scold, especially those with malicious intent. Her family members believed that they were rising a boy child, and a boy should not act or wear anything that is feminine. “This [Western culture’s gender binary] system proclaims that sex is determined at birth,” Janet Mock claims. “You should act

In life, humans are forced by society to live up to extreme expectations and stereotypes based on gender. If for any reason one doesn't comply to those they are often seen as odd or even at times a homosexual. For example, a celebrity that can be taken into consideration with this is Oprah Winfrey, someone who hasn’t exactly followed the expectations society has set for women. At 63 years old, she has paved her own path at a successful career without having a husband or children, many question her sexuality and choices in life for this. Writers Michael Kimmel, Stephen Hinshaw, and Jamaica Kincaid, among others, have contributed to the conversation of the idea that men and women have to comply to societal standards writers.

I interviewed my Caucasian friend Bryan who is homosexual. His conflict in gender stereotyping are his surroundings such as his friends and family who are more masculine. A family of army veterans, personal trainers, masculine physiques and friends who are into business, and medicine. The pressure that’s put on him to uphold that standard is not an easy obstacle to overcome. While he is on the ‘feminine’ side, he is surrounded by family members and friends who possess masculine traits. While the people around him work out, serve in the military and work as personal trainers, he has a passion for fashion. He does not work out to conform to the standards around him because he is learning to be okay with the fact that he is not like them. Day

Masculinity can range drastically in the level, shape, and or form it takes in each individual’s mind, but this phenomenon is formed as a complex experience through social construction. Masculinity has never been an ideal or a code I found myself reflecting on growing up, but my subconscious was constantly battling the juxtaposition of my experience at home, school, and on basketball teams. These factors would eventually shape my idea of masculinity surrounding home, particularly through the communicative aspects of athletics and academics.

Leo Bersani suggests that “the gay man always runs the risk of identifying with culturally dominant images of misogynous maleness” (117). In his article, he discusses how the gay man is able to take on the privileges given to the heterosexual men in society because they represent the dominant gender. In his essay, Thomas Piontek discusses

“Just please don’t be a ‘cross-dresser’”. These were the first few words that I heard from my grandmother as I came out to her for the first time. She had no idea that I did dress in woman’s' clothes and perform as a drag performer. Her remark was crystal clear: being gay was okay; being something even less normal was not. I am still pushing the expected boundaries as I become more open and upfront about my performing – my reality. I didn’t understand how something that felt right, and was I, could be perceived as something so wrong. I didn’t understand why something so harmless should be attacked and taken away from me.

Everyone who does not fit the idea of masculinity has been placed in the other category. Kids have a hard time to self-identify themselves because of all the masculine role moles that present themselves in the media. Masculinity has created a structured binary that makes their role the ideal role for society to be. That ideal role is traced back to a long history of old traditions, that society cannot look past. This ideal of masculinity has created complications within gender and sexuality that have made people hold onto heteronormative ideals. The heteronormative ideals have created a privilege society where the white males dominate the world and place everyone who does not fit in their binary into the other people category.

Tristan Booth’s The Stability of Gay Identity Confronts the Liminality of Trans Embodiment explores the series, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, to inform its audiences on a subject matter that is socially misunderstood, and to confront a liminal social personality that was not naturally familiarized within the norm of the Queer Eye formation. Queer Eye has always given lifestyle advice that could be used by its television viewers. Although the Fab Five’s recommendations are distributed to certain make-over subjects, audiences can also benefit from their guidelines on home decorating, cooking and personal grooming (Booth, 411). Unlike Queer Eye’s typical “straight guy”, Miles Goff was neither “straight” nor a regularly birth “male”. Per se, he lacked the social freedom enjoyed by the great majority of makeover subjects and this information could not help but only effect the performance of the Fab Five. Transsexuals live in a liminal position essentially at odds with hegemonic patterns of sex, gender and sexuality, as a consequence outcomes ranging from worriedness to anger have often led to discrimination and violence. The final solution proposed by queer theory would be a paradigm shift away from these strict, hegemonic arrangements (Booth,

How is gender and gender roles socially constructed? Soulliere states that gender is a cultural creation that is frequently developed by and represented through popular cultural media such as advertisements, music, sports, and entertainment television (Soulliere 2006). The article “Wrestling with Masculinity: Messages about Manhood in the WWE” by Danielle M. Soulliere (2006), examines messages about manhood revealed by televised professional wrestling (Soulliere 1). Messages concerning masculinity and manhood were investigated and compared to the cultural version of masculinity (Soulliere 2006). Soulliere’s research proves that the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) depicts messages, which supports the dominant hegemonic form of masculinity (Soulliere 2006). To further grasp and understand Soulliere’s hypothesis, we must first examine her research methods and outcomes.

When he began his studies of identity and sexuality on young children, he worked with expert psychiatrists, psychologist, and social workers in New York to understand gender dysmorphia, a condition in which one’s “biological gender” does not match one’s self-perception or “brain gender.” Through his help, he was able to find families dealing with a child going through this condition at a young age. Going into is study, he had a stereotypical view of transgender, gay and lesbian individual but, ironically, he was gay himself. For 11 months, he interviewed 30 people and their families to see what children deal with when they feel like they don’t belong to their gender and

In media, queer men and women are almost always portrayed in stereotypical roles, and bisexuality is almost always expressed as a phase or not real. These ideas affect how others view queer identities and how queer people view their own identity, and the social norms around them. Men are commonly described as “feminine” whilst women are portrayed as “masculine” (Tara Sarper, 2013). How did these widespread ideas come to exist and how do they continue to affect members of the community? These stereotypes can be harmful as they build a picture of what it means to be a certain sexuality, as well as the heteronormativity behind the stereotype.