“Mard ko dard nahin hota” (A man feels no pain). This iconic line from Manmohan Desai’s 1985 movie ‘Mard’ is perhaps quintessentially how masculinity is understood in our contemporary culture. And the definition does not simply end there. There are numerous other characteristics which have become synonymous to masculinity. The Oxford English Dictionary (year) defines the term ‘masculinity’ as “possession of qualities traditionally associated with men”. Some of these ‘qualities’ include dominance, strength, chivalry, aggressive behaviour, and having control over one’s emotions. It is a common perception that only female members of a society are subjected to follow certain codes of conduct – that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”(Cite). The same can be applied to the case of men. The notion of masculinity forces the male members to constantly behave in a socially acceptable manner. For example, in a home a man is supposed to fix every object thing that breaks, whether it is the computer or some problem related to plumbing. A man is not expected to be afraid and must always be in the role of the protector …show more content…
Television serials, movies and advertisements – these all contain powerful depictions of the ‘ideal man’. In an endeavour to sell their products, the advertisements at times circulate certain problematic images which eventually become dominant in society. For example, how using a women’s face cream can be a deterrent for a male to be a “banda”. Aindrila Chaudhuri of Tata Institute of Social Sciences writes: “Most of the times, logic takes a backseat but then again, in the era of heightened consumerism and capitalism, can you really expect the companies or the adverting agencies ,who by the way, are looking for profit maximisation, to do anything other than that... which is simply increasing profits! They aren’t really seeking to educate the