Michael Kimmel writes about the masculinity of men and details the code guys are expected to follow to achieve masculinity. To women what it takes to be a woman means whatever they want or it does not mean anything at all to them. However, for men it is still meaningful and powerful. To be a “real guy” a guy must follow the following list. The guy code is a collection of attitudes, values, and traits that composes what it means to be a man. “Boys don’t cry, its better to be mad than sad, don’t get mad- get even, take it like a man, he who has the most toys when he dies, wins, just do it, or ride or die, size matters, I don’t stop to ask for directions, nice guys finish last, its all good”. These aphorisms do not allow men to show emotions or …show more content…
Guys get their ideas of masculinity from the ongoing pressure from their fathers, coaches, brothers, and uncles. I found it shocking that men subscribe to these ideas because they want to be positively evaluated by men. I would have thought guys would do this to impress women. It is true that guys watch other men and wait for them to screw up and cross the boundaries of manhood. Furthermore, guys work very hard to follow these rules and put in effort to maintain a manly front. For example, what we wear, how we walk, and what we eat. In today’s society we hear words such as faggot, dork, pussy-whipped, wimp, loser, nerd, queer and girl. When people are referring to the word faggot they do not mean homosexuality, they mean to take away someone’s manhood. In society a man should follow the stereotypical behavior of focusing on physical attributes, and should look down a women’s blouse and show sexual interest. I do not think guys should act or behave a certain way to follow the guy code. A guy should be able to walk, talk and act however they want and not be scared to be perceived to be