Tough Guise 2 Essay

Pascoe identifies high school as a crucial site where masculinity is continuously being defined, declared, and defended. Her exploration of day-to-day high school life shows that male students are constantly declaring their masculinity by attacking those who seem to lack masculinity, often identified as, “fags,” which illustrates that the concepts of masculinity are tied to heterosexuality. The book highlights how important masculinity is, not just to the students, but also to the definition of the institution, which continues to foster an environment that is tolerant and complacent of sexual harassment and homophobia. Pascoe also states that adolescent masculinity is seen as dominance that is presented through a sexualized discourse and not just through behaviors. Although the book

The United States is made up of an astounding assortment of people of all different types, boasting one of the most diverse populations compared to anywhere around the world. Of these different peoples, toxic masculinity affects each group differently, with an especially profound effect to be found when studying those who identify as Latin- or Hispanic-American. While attempting to homogenize the many unique and beautiful facets of various Latin and Hispanic cultures is a disservice, they tend to share many traits which can be simplified, including their ideas on gender roles. In many Hispanic cultures, there are strong gender roles and ideas about gender that are traditionally built into every aspect of the culture, especially in the form of “machismo”, or the Hispanic ideas of masculinity. In some cultures, “…women are supposedly submissive… men are characterized by verbal and bodily aggression… and sexual dominance,” (Cantú 150). When combined with the gendered expectations and stereotypes that are increasingly prevalent in American culture, young Hispanic-American boys are growing up with an overwhelming volume of standards being impressed upon them from all sides. This same phenomenon can be seen again in African-American communities and cultures, with the already painfully present standards of white American masculinity being taken to another level by a culture which serves to pile on an even stricter set of standards on to its men. As with the Latin American ideas of

We define masculinity in a very narrow way. Masculinity becomes this hard, small cage, and we put boys inside the cage. We teach boys to be afraid of fear. We teach boys to be afraid of weakness, of vulnerability. We teach them to mask their true selves because they have to be, in Nigeria speak, ‘hard man’ (Adichie).

Society faces an issue that is not usually addressed because it is seen as the norm in today’s American culture. It is the crisis of masculinity. The notion of how men should be portrayed is not usually identified as a problem; today’s society views men’s apathetic and exasperated exterior as the orthodox behavior of everyday life. Boys at a young age are taught by the popular culture that they need to be a “real man” - strong physically and emotionally. The mask many men put up is based on the extreme idea of masculinity that emphasizes toughness, physical strength and gaining the respect of others through violence or the explicit threat of it. This front is put up by men because they do not want to stray from what is accepted, for men who

This research looks at the association of masculinity with violence, racism, power and the objectification of women, which has been around since early civilization. This study also shows how these concepts are still evident today in the media. Masculinity in the media is portrayed as muscular, violent, angry, aggressive, dominant, and warrior like. The rhetoric in media, as it relates to masculinity, has influenced the amount of violence in the world.

This sense of entitlement is one of the reasons that violence is so prevalent among this age group of men. Although most men believe that acts of hazing, bullying, rape, and fighting are wrong, they conform to this culture of silence because they are afraid of being shunned by their peers. “Silence is one of the ways that boys become men.” (61) They are forced to be silent witnesses because if they were to express any vulnerability, they would likely become the next target. As Kimmel says, “what happens in Guyland stays in Guyland”. (62) By silencing oneself and turning a blind eye, these young men are not only supporting themselves, but also protecting themselves. When the community dismisses these violent acts, the criminals who commit these atrocious acts are protected, which in turn “enables them to transgress again, or even escalate the severity of their actions.” (63)

The movie surveyed a wide array of the troubles faced by boys and men as they try to navigate the realm of masculinity. A common theme was the command “be a man” and the cultural baggage that comes with living up to that ideal. To “be a man” means to not cry, to not be sensitive, to not let people mess with you, to respond with violence, to be angry, to drink, to womanize.

    In society today, masculinity is seen as never crying or feeling pain. Emotionless zombies who show no sympathy and have no care in the world are the manliest of them all. Media portrays masculinity in his skewed way. Fight Club is known for its extreme display of the masculine identity. Conformed middle aged men break out of their shells by fighting their peers and proving themselves worthy of

To understand either work’s take on hegemonic masculinity, it is important to identify masculinity as a gendered hegemony. In her definition of gender, Judith Halberstam notes that gender is socially systematized, performed, and reproduced in cultures, institutions, and individual identities (Burgett, Bruce, and Hendler, 116). In a like manner, in her article on gendered violence, Mimi Schippers notes R.W. Connell’s research on masculinity to expand this definition, implying that masculinity is central to gender relations. In short, Connell defined masculinity as “simultaneously a place in gender relations, the practices through which men and women engage… in gender, and the effects of these practices on bodily experience, personality, and culture” (Schippers, 86). Here, masculinity is classified as a social position, the set and practice

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.

Masculinity is a term that is often associated with strength, power, control, and dominance in men. However, many texts support the claim that masculinity can be perceived as “socially constructed” and available for systematic discrepancy, similar to femininity. For example, in Michael Kimmel’s “Men, Masculinity, and the Rape Culture,” Kimmel identifies the “traditional masculinity” in which men exclusively can experience the “right to manhood” and the “dare and aggression” that is rightfully theirs (Kimmel, 142).

To date, masculinity as a modern-day concept is difficult to conceptualize due to their being many types of masculinity. V. Paul Poteat and Michael S. Kimmel noted that forms of masculinity have been conceptualized and assessed based on gender role orientation and gender normative beliefs (2010). The association between masculine norms and aggressive behavior and homophobic behavior is dependent on holding violence beliefs. Poteat and Kimmel in their study collected data on the behaviors of adolescents in Junior High and High School. The participants in the studies were students ages 11-18 who were recruited from a rural Illinois High School. In total sample size was 284 participants (Female:143, Male:141). The participants were evenly distributed

Strong, Independent, Intimidating, Powerful, Strong, Independent, In control, Rugged, Scares people, Powerful, Respected, Hard, A stud, Athletic, Muscular, A real man is tough, Tough, Tough” These are the responses of young men when they were asked what they believed what being a man was in the movie Tough Guise. This is a movie by Jackson Katz who is an anti-violence educator. The media that is taken in by the young men in our society is a very violent one. The men in most movies are portrayed as violent, tough, powerful, and criminals. The roles played by these men create an image for these young men making it seem ideal to be like them. The media influences the men and makes them have the negative portrayal of what a man is supposed to be. Masculinity reaches many people by influence through others.

Being a male in today’s society is not about living and enjoyment, it has become more of a task. Social pressures and media have made it difficult for males to live a life in which they are not being pressured to act or perform a certain way. In order to reassure themselves of their masculinity, violence has become the main method in assuring themselves and those around them that they are powerful. Not only is this violence being perpetrated against others, but self-inflicted violence also exists. The violence being used is not only physical but it is emotional abuse as well. Masculinity has forced many males to perform in ways that are detrimental to their own health as well as their loved ones. Furthermore, it has also put males in the

Hyper-masculinity, defined as a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, played a crucial part in the maintenance and function of the Brownsville community. The stereotypical male behavior of the time period in the book consisted of being a part of a male group, whether that be a drug-selling gang or a shoplifting gang like the Lo-Lifes, having a certain diction and attitude, having a certain strength, physically and emotionally, and having little consideration for the law; without these characteristics men were seen as weak and vulnerable. All of these stereotypical behaviors were supposed to be maintained by the community’s men because it gave them a distinct aura that made Brownsville residents, police and visitors aware of who was in charge. Because everyone was surrounded by that culture, violence, and dialect, it became a part of who they were. Since most men have the predisposed inclination of being providers and having to be the breadwinners, they took charge and eventually Brownsville became an androcentric society.