Dude You're A Fag: Maculinity and Sexuality in High School - Book Report/Review Example

number Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. C.J.Pascoe. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007, xii + 227 pp. ISBN 976-0-520-25230-1. If you are a guy no matter what age you are and no matter what sexual orientation you ascribe yourself to be, you probably don’t ever want to hear anybody call you a fag (got). But just what is it in that word makes it so derogatory? What issues are faced by guys and girls in high school with regards to gender, sexuality, and self image? Issues of masculinity in a local high school’s social construct gets examined in detail but also in a very engaging way in C. J. Pascoe’s book Dude you’re a fag: Masculinity and sexuality in High School, a book first published in 2007 by the University of California Press. The approach Dr. Pascoe used in the conduct of her experiment is very extensive, and she was very dedicated to getting fist hand accounts and data from more than 50 students, as well as faculty and staff of the suburban, middle class, multiracial, co-ed, high school in California which she in her book referred to as “River High school”. Being in college, I found myself being transported back into my own high school while reading the book. And I can’t help but compare and contrast what I have observed, experienced and participated in while I was studying in my high school alma mater. There were a lot of similar instances that were described in the book that I’ve also seen when I was in high school. And the implications of that kind of social environment to the identity and self image of the youths involved carry a huge significance with regards to how accepting society is to people who are non-conformists to accepted gender norms as adults. “Fag”- a tool for compulsive heterosexuality. “There is not a single word for people who don’t fit gender norms that is positive, affirming, and complimentary” (Wilchins, 38) and that applies to the term faggot and its contraction which is more popular, fag. As discussed in Dr. Pascoe’s book, boys in River High school often call each other fags. When a guy, particularly a white teen guy, shows care for his looks and apparel, when he is emotionally sensitive or if there is even an unintended contact between two boys, they call each other fags. The term is not just hurled at those who cross dress or are openly homosexual but also to boys who “fail” to measure up to some quintessential male standard. This “fag discourse” is the boys’ way keeping the other boys in line with what they considered to be masculine. Being called a fag does not necessarily carry sexual connotations as some of the boys that Dr. Pascoe interviewed said; *Darnell told me, "It doesn't even have anything to do with being gay." Similarly *J.L. said, "Fag, seriously it has nothing to do with sexual preference at all. You could just be calling somebody an idiot, you know?" As *David put it, "Being gay is just a lifestyle. It's someone you choose to sleep with. You can still throw around a football and be gay." (57) The fag discourse is more for implementing a prescribed self-identity that chokes the natural and unique persona of the one that receives the name call. As long as a teenage boy adheres to what is masculine – what is socially acceptable, they won’t be called fag. And since image and how their friends and classmates view them is of utmost importance in high school, it’s either you conform or you face verbal and even physical harassment just like *Ricky. The uniqueness of the stance that Dr. Pascoe took in her study was noted by M. L. Gray in her review published in the GLQ: A Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies. Gray said that “What is most striking and original about Pascoe’s study, however, is the sustained attention she pays to the different ways school environments circulate sexualized discourses…”(184), Dr. Pascoe observes not only the use of the term fag but includes the way teenage boys talk about women’s bodies and their gestures that is meant to shame effeminate behavior. Masculinity as defined by race. The book also looked into how race affects the constructs of what is considered “fag-like” and what is considered masculine. The fag discourse is more prevalent among peer groups of white teenage males and occurs less frequently among groups of teenage males who are of color. There is also a difference in what constitutes as masculine for those of color compared to that of whites. Like for black teen males, dancing and care for appearance is a sign of masculinity while that is viewed as effeminate behavior for white teenage males. Many young men learn what is masculine and what is the image of a “true” man through sports (Moore, p.3). And it is expected that for all of the racial groups observed, excellence in sports score a high approval rating as being masculine and guarantees that person a spot with those who are considered popular. Dr. Pascoe handled racism and its relation to the masculine image in River High as if she were just an observer – without bias, over interpretation, and over contextualization of what the interviewees said. Masculinity among the sexes. One of the most remarkable and quite controversial parts of the book is the chapter entitled Girls who act like boys which is about female masculinity in River High (Pascoe, p.115-156). Females who are act masculine, regardless of gender identification or orientation, is more favored and liked compared to their “girly” counterparts as exemplified by the “basketball girls”. This is one of the things that I found true in my own experience, “masculinity” is highly valued in High school. Masculinity is closely associated with acting tough, and being adept in “manly” team sports like basketball, and football regardless of sex. Though I have seen similar trends in my high school, I was expecting that the “girly” and beautiful girls will be the more popular ones, but on the contrary, they were not generally liked as is the depiction of the Home Coming Queen, Jessie Chau (Pascoe, p.133-149). But not all tough acting or tough looking girls are popular, the Gay/Straight alliance girls were in the lower rung of the social hierarchy in school though they could be described as tomboys too. For most studies that tackle the paradigms of sex and gender-identified roles in adolescents, few take notice of the impact of these interactions with how the teens are viewed by their own peers – how their gender expression translates to their popularity and occupied level in their own social hierarchy. Dr. Pascoe’s was brilliant in noticing the value of this phenomenon and for directing a spotlight on it through her book. Masculinity defined by personal beliefs. Another unique aspect of masculinity that was tackled in Dr. Pascoe’s book is the interpretation of masculinity according to one’s values of beliefs. She examined the construct of masculinity among Christian boys and the girls that are members of the Gay/Straight Alliance. Characters that define masculinity for typical teenage males in River High are not the same as the characters that constitutes masculinity for the Christian boys. The Christian boys were also homophobic in certain aspects just like the rest of River High’s male student population but for them, what matters is the gender expression and gender preference/orientation of the individual. Being emotionally sensitive, and participation in activities that are considered effeminate like the drama club, or dancing does not make one less masculine for the Christian boys and they do not ascribe to the traits that the rest of the boys consider as masculine like being able to get girls. Christian boys also belittle the other teen age males because they see their obsession for “worldly” masculinity as immaturity. The girl members of the Gay/Straight Alliance dress in gothic garb and they are the ones who rally for gender equality in the campus. Their appearance is tough and most of them are openly lesbian like the basketball girls but they are not considered popular or well liked. Most of them are social outcasts in fact. Masculinity and personal beliefs interconnected in such a way that the latter gives meaning to the former. Dr. Pascoe poses just as many researchers like her that delve into the study of human behavior that “there is no singular, unified discourse of masculinity (Connel)” and therefore there should not be a hegemonic male that any male, whether young or old, should be compared to. An institution for social molding. For every testimony and case study inside Dr. Pascoe’s book, though the stars of the anecdotes and subsequent analysis-synthesis are the interviewees, the school plays a tremendous role in fostering a kind of (in J. Friedman’s words) “toxic masculinity” atmosphere. Masculinity in its self is not bad and the pursuit of it is actually great but if it becomes a leverage to take advantage and create disparities among people, then it becomes toxic masculinity. This toxic masculinity coupled with the apathy of the teachers, students, and the school’s administration towards incidents of abuse, and prejudism towards students who opt for non gender conformist roles makes surviving High school more difficult that it is for these kids. In the final chapter of the book entitled Conclusion: Thinking about Schooling, Gender and Sexuality, Dr. Pascoe gave several steps that would enable high schools such as River High to be more accepting of the heterogeneity and fluidity of gender and the roles that are ascribed to each. Though some reviews of her book like that of M. L. Gray, J. E. deRoche, and D. Far did not like the “over simplification” of the steps that she advices for these school, I for one see it as an invitation from the author to contextualize the steps according to the circumstances in one’s particular school or group. The author painted for us an elaborate, interconnected labyrinth of masculinity in a local high school so that the readers can examine their own particular cases and keep an eye for connections that may seem small but are immensely significant in redefining masculinity for the context of high schools. Dude, you’re a fag is not just an “…excellent ethnography for undergraduates in anthropology and related fields” (J. E. deRoche, p.18). For me it is like a time machine that brought me back to my high school days and made me re-think about my own circumstance and what I, my friends, or the school could have done better to make kids who are non-conformists in terms of gender and their associated roles fell less threatened. The accepted theory now is that gender is fluid so masculinity (and in that case femininity) should not be forced upon anyone. The book started out with a depiction of a sort of contest, the search for Mr. Cougar, wherein boys would act out a skit in the hopes of proving himself as the manliest of the contestants. The author pointed out the allusions of that contest to real life. Teen boys (and girls) constantly put on a “masculine facade” so that they would not get labeled as weird, or worse, a fag. The book made me hope and work for the day that these masks will be set aside and thrown out for good. References Connel, R. W. “Teaching the boys: new research on masculinity and gender strategies for schools”. Teacher’s college records. Vol. 98, No.2. Winter 1996. Columbia University. Web. 10 December 2013 deRoche, John E. “Useful Ethnographies”. Rev. of Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. C. J.Pascoe. General Anthropology. American Anthropological Association. Web. 10 December 2013 Farr, Daniel. Rev. of Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. C. J.Pascoe. Journal of Popular Culture. No date. Print. Friedman, Jaclyn. Toxic Masculinity. The American Prospect. 13 March 2013. Web. 10 December 2013 Gray, Mary L. “From Fags to Dudes: Rethinking the Construction of Adolescent Masculinities through Sexualizing Discourses”. Rev. of Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. C. J.Pascoe. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, Volume 15, Number 1, (2009). Web. 10 December 2013 Moore, Keith. “Performance, Masculinity, and Conformation: How Males Learn Manliness”. Academia. Winter 2013. Web. 10 December 2013 Pascoe, Cheri J. Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. California University Press, Berkeley. 2007. Print. Read More