Summary : ' Manliness '

These factors constitute what Kimmel defines as "the central themes of American manhood at the turn of the century that masculinity was increasingly an act, a form of public display; that men felt themselves on display at virtually all times; and that the intensity of the need for such display was increasing" (Furumota).

Masculinity has changed and evolved since the beginning of human creation. Males have had to adhere to the social norms of their time to survive without undue persecution. In the beginning of the 19th century, there was a shift in the way men could attain manhood. It was no longer easy for a man to enter into manhood with straightforward expectations and rituals. The state of manhood became difficult to obtain because of its precarious nature. During the same period, the industrial revolution was in full bloom giving birth to mass information outlets like newspapers, magazines, and advertisement: media. This set a prevailing state where boys and men alike could gain material on how to become or be men

Manliness & Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States is an intensive analysis of how assumptions about race, gender, and the perfection of civilization shaped thought and behavior in the US between 1890 and 1915. For its author, Gail Bederman, despite race and gender are two different categories, society have connected them so that they should be understood together. Both categories are connected in relevant to civilization as the social perfection idealized by Darwinism had designated white men as the most superior. During the particular period where this book is focused, male dominance has been prevalent long before this period. This book will investigate this turn of the century connection between manhood and race; and argue that as white middle-class men

The normal hegemonic male is athletic and carries traits of strength, courage and mateship. The hegemonic male was the communal standard in the 1900’s

Theroux, P. “Being a Man” English 102 Reader. Bedford/St. Martin’s. Boston, 2013 pages. 358-361. Print

Stephen Bonnycastle lists a set of traits or stereotypes in his work In Search for Authority, that are considered "feminine" and an opposing list that is considered "masculine"; these traits seem to be inevitably true to life (Bonnycastle 10,11). For example, one of the traits listed is emotional, women are expected to be emotional and when this is not the case a man is often confused and indifferent towards the woman. This is especially the case if she is not emotional she is viewed as not feminine. Any time a woman does not fit the idea of what society expects of her she is outcasted and frowned upon. This hatred runs even deeper if a woman crosses over into what is considered "masculine", a woman who shows any type of authority over a

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (SOURCE). Manhood and being a “real man” is defined in many different ways depending on the person. However, most of these things that men are defined by can be done by any gender and there are people that make it their work to prove that. The social construct of manhood has overall negative consequences on society; however, not all men uphold this construct, and can prove to be advocates of change.

As a meteor enters the earth’s atmosphere, it often disintegrates in a fiery ball and leaves nothing but ashes. By the 20th century, the American self-made man existed in a similar state. Since the American Revolution, American men’s identities clung to the promises of the self-made archetype, which focused on the public accumulation of wealth and status. This hunger for success focused on the qualities of mobility, competiveness, and aggressiveness. For over two centuries, these qualities thrusted America onto the world stage. By the late 20th century, the new, modern world threatened the American self-made man’s existence. Debilitating events such as the closing of the frontier; gender and racial equality; and economic instability all contributed to the self-made man’s downfall. Thus, in crumbling under the ashes of the self-made man, contemporary American men must forge a new definition of manhood. Although not all negative, the qualities of the self-made man created this crisis of manhood. Other scholars, such as Michael Kimmel, attempted, but failed to fully mend the issue. In continuation, this paper serves to do what other historians could not complete; establish the foundation for true manhood. In such an endeavor, the best attributes of the previously established manhood

Anthropologist Thomas Gregor said that there are continuities of masculinities across cultural boundaries. If continuities concerning “manly” behavior are present among men of varying societies, why is this so? What is the reason for males to be placed under pressure to “act like a man” or to “man up” and why is it a common theme found in so many different places? Why do boys often find themselves in situations that are meant to test or indoctrinate them before they are allowed to be considered a man? Male and female are two distinctions that all societies make, and all provide roles appropriate for the two sexes.

The notion of hegemonic masculinity has altered the field of gender studies and many academic arenas. An idea popularized by R.W. Connell, hegemonic masculinity has played an integral role in the emotional development of American men, articulating the impact that this societal construction has had on the concept of American masculinity. It is a contested topic, yet the impacts that it has in terms of sexuality, struggles for power and political leadership, and gender identities are valid (Connell 830). Although difficult to fully achieve, it acts as a guiding force for the stereotypically masculine. Hegemonic masculinity assumes the subordination of all other forms of masculinity, placing it at the top of the social hierarchy. At the same time, the idea of hegemonic masculinity has served as a bridge between the growing field of men’s’ studies and female studies (Connell 829). Several authors share the premise that men in American society conform to the standards of the social construct of hegemonic masculinity.

Chapter two is titled “What Manner of Man?” because of the voting process used in determining the historical accuracy of the stories Jesus tells. The process Borg gives us is, “We vote on each saying by casting one of four differently colored beads into a ballot box. The different colors- red, pink, gray, and black- represent a descending spectrum of historical probability. A red vote means, “I’m Pretty sure Jesus said that”; pink, somewhere between “probably” and “more likely yes than no”; gray, somewhere between “more likely no than yes” and “probably not”; and black, “I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t say that.”

Connell suggests a concept in which women are considered a subordinate species in reference to men, who contain a dominant social position. He refers to this concept as hegemonic masculinity. The images, ideas and beliefs fabricated by this concept has caused a major impact on the roles that men and women play throughout society. The concept of hegemonic masculinity revolves around oppressing women and viewing women as submissive. When this concept is not portrayed in society, such as a female police officer or female judge, women are seen to be more masculine than feminine. This expected male dominance encourages notions of sexualizing and objectifying women while simultaneously disregarding any notion or reality of homosexuality as a false or taboo subject, otherwise regarded as the hatred towards homosexuals or homophobia. This causes males to compete to determine the alpha-male amongst themselves by sleeping with the most women or most beautiful woman, or showing the most dominance. The majority of these concepts is portrayed by large media socialites, actors, sportsmen and other prominent media figures. Hegemonic masculinity is generally followed to a limit in society. In school, the most popular kids are the ones who play physical sports, as sports are depicted as “cool” and

Masculinity is described as possession of attributes considered typical of a man. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine character with cultural idealism and emphasis that connects masculinity to competitiveness, toughness, and women subordination. Masculinity hegemonic is the enforcement of male dominion over a society. Masculine ideology dates back to the time of agrarian and the industrial revolution in Europe when survival compelled men to leave their homesteads to work in industries to earn a living for their families while women remained at home to take care of family affairs (Good and Sherrod 210). Women did not work in industries then because industrial labor was considered too physical beyond their capacity. This led to

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.

Masculinity and femininity are unescapeable. We are taught how to be masculine or feminine from birth but for men, the highest form of masculinity achievable is hegemonic masculinity. In this essay, I will define hegemonic masculinity, discuss how it perpetuates homophobia by restricting the way men interact with one another and by the use of the word fag, and how it perpetuates gender inequality through the expectations of violence, no emotions, and being breadwinners.