Masculinity In Big Men

In America today there are clear views on what masculinity and femininity. These views have given Americans the outlines for how they must behave based on what gender they are. Masculinity is constructed in American culture through many different forms of media, so as the ideals and values attached to masculinity change in the media so has the ideals and values that the everyday man see as being part of masculinity. In this respect the ideals and values of masculinity are shaped by what the media shows it to us.

Society’s current structure of masculinity is unforgiving in form. It cuts out other forms of masculinity, it physically and mentally demanding, and its ill effects extend far beyond the men it infuses itself in. Yet what would we do if we were given other options for masculinity, ones that allowed for unique blends of attitudes and perceptions? Looking in to the lives of homeless men we can see the forced strategies which create new masculine codes created for the adaption against patriarchal pressures. They are made out of survival need to circumnavigate the painful mental and physical reality that is only made worse by harsh masculine standards. Yet these new masculinities hold out a form of hopefulness for society. They offer up new discussion to what it means to be a man, the potential for change, and what we can expect from changes in male identity over time. Using what we learn from the disadvantaged, we can hope to improve the lives of people, although the process will take time, effort, and careful mediation.

According to the article African American men “, bears a greater burden of type 2 diabetes,” (325). Diabetes is known to have an effect on the individual’s socially, economic and culturally. These factors may include reason as to why diabetes is more prevalent in the males of the African American communities. The article details three main points in which African American men are effected. “ males seek medical care less frequently and at a later point in the course of illness; males generally pay less attention to their diet; and males more often engage in risky behaviors including smoking, alcohol abuse , violence and unsafe driving,”(324). These factors may also include the lack of education and awareness about such disease but also the

Americans understanding about getting involved in physical activity has been evolving since the idea of sport first entered the culture. At first a sport was nothing more than a way to prove yourself to others and to show masculinity. These changes were brought to fruition through more knowledge. When Americans first realized that physical health was of importance, it was what started to make sure that everyone was getting active in some way. These changes happened first for males. It was, for a long time, still considered inappropriate for a female to in peak physical condition. Because it took so long for anyone to believe that the same resources that men were given to stay physically active should be given to women to, women are still not given the same opportunities at any level of sport in America today.

Many socio-historical studies on masculinity have often revealed how Machismo is embedded in the Latino culture within the United States. Machismo is defined as a strong sense of masculine pride, often exhibited by Latino men. In Latino culture in the United States, machismo is not only accepted, but always expected. In any study that investigates the Latino group, machismo is a subject that cannot be left behind.

Regardless of my lack of adequate educational opportunities during my childhood, as I progressed throughout my higher academic courses over the past years, I have learned that I have always been treated differently due to my sexual orientation. In other words, as a heterosexual Christiane male in the American community; I have always being treated with honor simply because I supposedly fit the acceptable identity of a male standard within the Liberian and American community. For example, as a straight man in the American and Liberian community, I have the freedom to use any restroom and I have the opportunity to walk around my community without fearing for my safety as compared to a LGBT person. Unfortunately, members of LGBT label do not get

There is a masculinity crisis in America that has been escalating, since society has gravitated to the auspice of anti-marriage and single parenthood. The nuclear family is the root of a successful society. In a traditional nuclear family, family structure plays a vital role in the healthy developmental stages from birth through adolescence; otherwise, the child cannot adjust due to lack of social conventions. There are numerous factors that contribute to the threat of masculinity in our society; namely, families headed by single mothers, the media metrosexualizing males, and absence of God.

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.

The Hippie era has come to end and the days of self awareness have arrived. Instead of focusing on love to all, many Americans were indulging in their self pleasure. According to Alfred Kinsey’s research Americans sexual behavior deviated from their widely accepted norms (Glbt.com/shsh/sexrevo cites correctly). Wilhelm Reich added to Kinsey’s research with a remark that he believed sexual repression overwhelmingly distorted psychological development (glbt.com/shsh). To further societies receptivity of sexuality the case Roth v. United States in 1956 created a public arena in which it became possible to discuss sex and represent it both literary and visually (glbt.com). Furthermore the counterculture of the 60’s had a new candidness of sexuality,

Looking tough, sagging your pants, big muscles, baritone voices, and being homophobia do not characterized what masculinity is. Masculinity is biologically constructed and consists of traits such as aggressiveness, non-emotional, competitiveness, and tough skinned, strong, and hard. However, over the decades of our time, men that are queers (homosexual man) have now been identified as “queering masculinity”. Men such as; Ellyn Harris, best selling open gay author, Alvin Ailey, CEO and founder of the, American Dance Theatre in New York City, Langston Hughes, famous African American Poet, James Baldwin, civil rights activist and author of, “Go Tell it on the Mountain”, and the “Fashion Queen” himself, Mr. Andre Leon Talley, former editor and chief of Vogue magazine. These philanthropic men have all been influential in our societies and communities. Their pioneer abilities has transcended them as visionaries and are the voices through the lens of, “Queering Masculinity: Manhood and Black Gay Men in College”. Which is also known as “BGMUs”. This was a qualitative study that explored the lives and experiences of BGMUs’ and how they identified with masculinity and manhood affecting them socially and academically.

As Ehrmann states in the opening scene, “If you're going to be a man in this world, you better learn how to dominate and control people and circumstances.” This quote summarizes the never-ending goal men must meet in our society. This goal, of maintaining masculinity, has lead to the violence, depression, and confusion among males. In the film, they examine the cause and effect of male gender-policing in our society. Through personal anecdotes and expert testimony, the film sheds light on the painful cost of masculinity in America.

What would you do if you found yourself in a violent situation? Someone tries to fight you when you’re on the subway on your daily commute to work? Would you try to run away, or call the police? Now what if it’s someone you love, and you can’t run away because it was your fault anyway and they need you. This is how 1 in 4 American men feel. The Stigma against men talking about domestic abuse is harmful and often makes men feel that they can’t talk about it due to the hyper-masculinity in our media

The short film American Male shows how the male protagonist was being influenced by the society’s definition of a man. The film starts with the voice over, “Order beer. Not wine. And beef, not chicken. Never light beer, though.

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.

In Of Woman Born (1977), Adrienne Rich unwittingly captures all the nuances of the African traditional social milieu when she describes patriarchy as: