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Concept Of Masculinity

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Understanding Masculinity
‘Man up’ or ‘be a man’ are two phrases that every man hears interchangeably throughout his journey from boyhood to manhood. Apparently there is an arbitrary universal man who personifies masculinity of the highest order and every man is supposed to be his extension. Closer a man is to this figure more masculine he is. What is masculinity and how does it determine social structures and behavioural patterns of men?
The concept of masculinity is smoke-screened with ambiguous cultural definitions. There is no consensual definition of masculinity. Studies that emerged from late 1970s see it as a constantly evolving phenomenon which is predominantly characterised …show more content…

However, there is no explanation of what makes a man or rather how puppy dog tails turn into big dog tails. Such is ambiguity and complexity when it comes to understand the relationship between masculinity and identity. Sociologists like Kimmel and Messner in their studies over understanding masculinity have highlighted the inefficacy and inadequacy of gender role theories in recognizing and determining male power and dominance.
Sigmund Freud in attempt to analyse factors determining the development of ‘manufactured masculinity’ produced the idea of continuity between the normal and neurotic mental life. This idea states that development of masculinity was constructed through long and conflict-ridden process. According to Freud a lot also depends on the early relationships of the boy with his parents. The vicissitudes of these relationships play significant role in development of ‘manufactured masculinity’.
Theories of post-structuralism, particularly by Michael Foucault, which were directed towards exploring dynamics of masculinity, linked the social action and power relations with the identity processes. However some of these theories had limited vision as they projected deterministic power relations ideologies and portrayed it as unchanging structure. Socially dominant forms of being a male (masculinities) can be seen to provide an acceptable means by which boys and men may express their gender and thus their sense …show more content…

Young men in India grow in male dominated society where there is negligible to no interaction with the opposite sex. Men in India grow in an environment where they enjoy privileges limited to men, such as opportunity, power, autonomy and mobility while girls have to endure restrictions of their parents society from the time they join school to the time they get married and even beyond. In Indian families Sons are brought up to both perpetuate and condone gender hierarchies and are nurtured with a sense of entitlement. Such social construct becomes a breeding house for misdirected masculinities characterised by male dominance, objectification of women and aggressive behavioural

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According to Judith Butler, masculinity comes from sports (football) and other culturally influenced activities. She states that biologically a man is a man, however a man is taught how to act through activities. For example, Butler used football saying “teaches men, both young and old, how to act like men, and women, both young and old, what to expect from them” (McBride 130).

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In discussing the many facets of masculinity among young men, one key issue has been the correlation it has with several developmental concerns. In Michael Kimmel’s 2008 publication “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code”, he talks about how men believe manhood is really achieved. More specifically, he talks about “Guy Code”, the universal rulebook that all men must follow if they wish to remain in good standing among their fellow man. These rules are taught as early as their toddler years.

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“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than a poet can help the inspiration to sing.” The infamous H.H. Holmes spoke these spine chilling words. Known as “America’s First Serial Killer”, Holmes lived a secretive and lavish lifestyle. Holmes’s fear of doctors as a young child ripened into a fascination of the human anatomy.

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Masculinity has been a heated debated topic over the past years. Not just america or europe, but our whole society. Men tend to think that entering manhood is a good thing, but most don’t know it can be just as detrimental to our society. Men have certain characteristic when it concerns to masculinity and when doing so it can have a range of effects. So, how do men identify themselves masculine and how do they define themselves that way?

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History has repeatedly given men privilege due to their physical advantages; yet it is these same advantages that have developed into “rules” or expectations that all men should conform to in order to prove their manhood. Michael Kimmel’s essay, “‘Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code” outlines the “rules” where men are expected to never show any emotions, be brave, act knowledgeable, be risk takers, be in control, act reliable, and be competitive, otherwise they would be showing weakness which is analogous to women. It is humiliating that men associate weakness with women; they should focus on the potential of the individual rather than their gender. Most insults toward men attack their masculinity because society finds it shameful for men to be

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The ability to understand male role models allows for a more intelligent understanding as to why boys act the way they do, and why our conceived notion on what being a boy changes. While examining the movie Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater, and the entry “Boyhood” by Eric Tribunella, manhood is defined by “the ability to dominate, care for, or exercise power over others”, while “to be a boy means to be flawed, inchoate, or incomplete” (Tribunella). The movie and the entry both enlighten audiences with examples of boyhood and how it changes and shifts from each person. Linklater’s

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At least, most of it lies here. It would take many more pages to explain every little detail about masculinity but these are the main points. The rest of what it means to be a man lies in the heart of a man. From the ideas of John Eldredge to the archetypes from Moore and Gillette, there is one thing in common. A man needs to find himself.

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What constitutes “masculinity?” Sadly, the term has been defined so harshly that it is having detrimental effects on our society. The definitions of gender roles bombard us everywhere, from books, to advertisements, to movies, there is seemingly no place one can hide from these absurd standards. Canadian sociologist Aaron H. Devor points out in his article “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender,” that gender norms are learned early on in life, burdening children with these restrictions (388). This is what makes movies which clearly reject and mock gender roles, such as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, so refreshing.

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In terms of the archetypical themes stated above, masculinity represents all of them. To be masculine is being able to unite, be united with, to trust, be trusted, be loyal, and be loyal to. Masculinity can be attributed to three thematic gender roles, “strength: emotional toughness, courage, self-reliance, and rationality. Honor: duty, loyalty, responsibility, integrity, selflessness, and compassion. Action: competitiveness, ambition, and risk-taking” (“psychology of men”).

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“Masculinity as Homophobia” an article by S. Kimmel, that talks about how men these days have the fear of being judged and ranked based on their manhood. There are some arguments that the Professor mentions and uses in his article that supports his argument and some experiences from other people 's perspective in life of men over the years. The author’s main argument is about how men these days are being watched and judged closely based on how they walk, talk, eat, dress, move and look like. The author explains how the world is judging men and how it tries to take that power and that pride of being a man.

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Over time, the thought patterns of many individuals mould to believe only one perception of what is morally acceptable— a perception that is completely faulty. The ideology of the male body and demeanor is only one of the many societal norms constructed by the media, and it alone can result in mental health fatalities, mass violence, or the mere elimination of self-identity whilst attempting to meet the ever-changing ideals of masculinity. The continuous and stereotypical depiction of masculinity in the media has idealized invulnerability, toughness and physical strength as the sole qualities of a ‘true man’. As a result, the complexity of masculinity is flattened, and immense pressures are placed on individuals to meet requirements that are entirely faulty. According to Katz, cultures, topics, and even genders are not one-dimensional; in order to fully comprehend the meaning the entirety of something, one must look at more than its representation in the media.

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Rather than a single standard of masculinity to which all men and boys are taught to aspire to, studies have documented a variety of masculinity that define manhood differently across racial , ethnic, class, sexual , and regional boundaries.(Kathleen Blee) In this quote the author states that due to intersectional differences, different racial groups of men might have different definitions on what it means to be masculine and what it means to perform masculinity. Gender roles are also modified by life experiences over time across racial groups. In the next images I presented are all images of my guy friends and cousins. More specifically they are all images of African American males in my life choosing to participate in gender and masculinity.

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There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women.

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Pascoe claims that “masculinizing discourses and practices extend beyond male bodies,” and that the fluid practices, rituals, and discourses that make up masculinity can be enacted by and affect males and females, and a multiplicity of institutions (9). Masculinity and compulsive heterosexuality are immutably linked, creating a reciprocal situation in which boys will assert their masculinity to prove their heterosexual and dominant identity, as well as prove their heterosexual dominance in order to affirm their

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Masculinity (also called boyhood, manliness or manhood) is a set of attributes, behaviors and roles generally associated with boys and men. But the culture doesn’t end at the definition, it starts from there. The first thing to come to mind when the word masculinity is heard is usually a man flexing his gigantic muscles, as the word might sound to suggest, and that right there is the current culture of masculinity because sadly, in the world we live in, not everyone has a “muscular body”. So far we know the concept of masculinity, but the culture is what is truly hampering.

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