Men and Masculinity - Report Example

Men and Masculinity of Introduction For many years now, the topic of Men and Masculinity has been a prevailing subject of interest for most scholars in the field of social sciences. It has been attributed to be a significant piece in understanding various issues in the society like woman rights violations, gender-based violence, increasing crime rate, and the development of gender role. The result of the perception of men and the rest of the society towards masculinity seems to have affected the behavior of men. In addition, the behavior of men in the society affects both men and women which form the society. It is therefore indispensable to understand the relationship between men and masculinity to protect the welfare of the nation and its people. Discussion Flow The first step to understand the concept of masculinity in men is to define its cause and effects. First, it is important to note that for one to be able to fully understand the concept of masculinity, a person needs to know what causes its existence. First, the body of a man is biologically built to be more muscular than the body of a woman which gives reason in the creation of the concept of masculinity. Consequently, men are physically stronger than women which automatically make it an instant distinction for men. Furthermore, this physical distinction gives way to labeling to men as masculine. The idea of men being masculine alone does not bring any problem in the concept of masculinity but the result of this idea which led to stereotyping of men. The stereotyping of men as masculine in physical appearance and behavioral conduct later on became an expectation of the society. It was promoted through media such as television, newspapers, and magazines by giving an image to men as muscular, emotionally and mentally tough, hard drinker, and other characteristics associated with strength and power. As a result, the public accepted this representation as the standard for masculinity and thus becomes the ideal for men. Given this scenario, it is not only women that are affected but also men themselves suffer from this condition. For instance, in the same way that women struggle to achieve slim body, men also aim to obtain the ideal body set by the media. These physical features shown by the media are bodies of models that are difficult to acquire for someone who is not a model by profession. Most men struggle to achieve it that it leads to drug use in the form of steroids, eating disorder, muscle dysmorphia and body dysmorphic disorder, and depression. The issue of behavioral standards for men to be called masculine is another problem and may result to scenarios such as social withdrawal and depression. This dilemma is also a product of both the media and the culture as men are expected to exhibit “manly” characteristics and actions. These problems and other effects of the concept of masculinity certainly affect the society and the different aspects of the nation as a whole. (495 words) Annotated bibliography Blow, Charles M. (2012, February 11). Real Men and Pink Suits. New York Times, p. A21. The suspension of CNN’s political analyst, Roland Martin, due to gender-related issue has led to the analysis of masculinity. A comment that relates to the issue of gender resulted to his suspension because a group called The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation viewed the comment as an act of violence against gay people. Consequently, key research findings were discussed in the news report on the issue of masculinity. A 2001 study quoted that “a boy who does not measure up to dominant prescriptions of masculinity is likely to be punished by his peers in ways which seek to strip him of his mantle of masculinity” (Blow, 2012). This is a clear evidence of the existence of the concept of masculinity that is the central focus of this paper. Brett, R. (Host). (2010, September 27). Is There Anything Good About Men with Dr. Roy Baumeister (Part I). [Episode 32]. The Art of Manliness Podcast Episode. Podcast retrieved from http://masculineheart.blogspot.com/2010/09/art-of-manliness-podcast-episode-32-is.html The audio podcast of Brett (2010), The Art of Manliness, investigates the good and bad qualities of men as seen today. The good qualities are considered to be the advantages of the present masculinity attribution to men and the bad qualities are the disadvantages. It provides additional ideas on the concept of masculinity in terms of its implications on men. Finally, the qualities of men can later on be incorporated to its impact on the society and to other people. Caroline, S., ed. (2009). Men and Masculinity. United Kingdom, Oxford: Oxfam GB. The author basically discusses the relevance of the concept of masculinity in gender relation and in the economic, social, and political development of the society (Caroline, 2009). It is an essential reference in the writing of this paper because it gives basis on the importance of the study of men and masculinity. As Caroline (2009) suggests that the objects in his paper, Men and Masculinity, assess the implications of the study of masculinity in men to gender and development policy (Caroline, 2009). The work of Caroline (2009) is indeed an integral part in establishing the rationale of this paper. Lindisfarne, N. (1994). Variant masculinities, variant virginities Rethinking ‘honour and shame’. Cornwell, A., and Lindisfarne, N. (Eds.), Dislocating Masculinity (pp. 82-96). New York, NY: Routledge. The chapter illustrates the concept of masculinity in men in the form of honor and shame. It can relatively be connected to the part of this paper that talks about the effect of media on the definition of masculinity. Particularly, it explains the behavioral standard which men try to possess because it is what the media and the society dictate. This explanation can be manifested through the concept of honor and shame as used by the author. The author describes men who demonstrate weakness in dominating women and their own independence as in the downward spiral and less credibility (Lindisfarne, 1994). MasculinityU. (ca. 2010). In Facebook [Community page]. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from https://www.facebook.com/MasculinityU The community page, MasculinityU, main goal is to redefine masculinity to promote an environment that is free from all sorts of violence (MasculinityU, ca. 2010). In the process, some of the articles in the page are meant to understand the current state of men and women in terms of gender-related issues in the society. In addition, the present perception of boys and men towards masculinity is examined to help in formulating a reform to redefine masculinity. Obviously, these things are of utmost help to the accomplishment of this paper. Newman, R. J. (2012, September 1).Dad Wears a Skirt so His Son Will Feel Strong Enough To Do So As Well. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.amptoons.com/blog/2012/09/01/dad-wears-a-skirt-so-his-son-will-feel-strong-enough-to-do-so-as-well/ One of the main reasons that the study on men and masculinity started was that the perception of the society on masculinity has brought men several problems. Men seem to experience discrimination and social isolation from the society in the case that they do not meet the expectations of the society. It became evident in Newman (2012) when his son experienced discrimination in his new school when he exhibited actions that are attributed to women like wearing a skirt. It is a clear manifestation of the negative implication of the concept of masculinity in the present society. Oliffe, John. (2001). Problem-based Learning and Masculinities: Unique opportunities for Mr. Fix it? Well, maybe. Vol.7, No.2. Oliffe (2001) suggests that there exist an “interconnections of Problem-based Learning (PBL) curriculums, health promotion, male nurses’ health-related behaviors and the implications and specificities of masculinity.” He further proposes that further research on the topic will yield data that can further illuminate the interconnections between the specificities of masculinity and the other factors mentioned earlier. Again, this is vital information in the success of this paper as it rigorously investigated the role of masculinity in the development of other fields. Rutherford, Leonie. (2004). Negotiating masculinities : Yolngu Boy, Metro, no. 140, Autumn, pp. 62-69. In the past years, the study on men and masculinity has been attributed to different fields in the society. Rutherford (2004) defines these fields as therapy, education, health services, violence prevention, policing and social services. While actions to understand and reform the concept of masculinity require a complex approach and an in-depth analysis, its results are very rewarding in a way that it will tend to solve problems in many fields. The writings of Rutherford (2004) will help this paper a lot on the investigation of how masculinity affects different fields in the nation. The Role of Men and Boys in Achieving Gender Equality. (October 7, 2003). Retrieved November 27, 2012, from United Nations website, http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/men-boys2003/Connell-bp.pdf The United Nations’ website was created to serve as a tool towards meeting its primary purpose of promoting equality among nations. In line with this, it was seen by the United Nations that the role of masculinity in gender equality is significant in achieving international equality among countries and unifying the nation. It then promotes research and development in gender equality through information dissemination as one of its articles “The Role of Men and Boys in Achieving Gender Equality”. [lacigreen]. (2012, May 10). Men and Femininity. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77lPjNhL5X4 Men and femininity has always been a subject of comparison in gender-related studies that include masculinity. In the short film, men and femininity are discussed and compared as a way to illustrate how the society perceives masculinity. This only proves that the society expects men to behave, dress, and act in a certain way and that these expectations are based on the society’s perception on masculinity. This is one evidence that incorporates to the idea suggested in this paper that indeed masculinity is dictated by the society. The media creates this perception through portrayals on how masculine men should act. References Blow, Charles M. (2012, February 11). Real Men and Pink Suits. New York Times, p. A21. Brett, R. (Host). (2010, September 27). The Art of Manliness Podcast Episode #32: Is There Anything Good About Men with Dr. Roy Baumeister (Part I). The Masculine Heart. Podcast retrieved from http://masculineheart.blogspot.com/2010/09/art-of-manliness-podcast-episode-32-is.html Caroline, S., ed. (2009). Men and Masculinity. United Kingdom, Oxford: Oxfam GB. Lindisfarne, N. (1994). Variant masculinities, variant virginities Rethinking ‘honour and shame’. Cornwell, A., and Lindisfarne, N. (Eds.), Dislocating Masculinity (pp. 82-96). New York, NY: Routledge. MasculinityU. (ca. 2010). In Facebook [Community page]. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from https://www.facebook.com/MasculinityU Newman, R. J. (2012, September 1).Dad Wears a Skirt so His Son Will Feel Strong Enough To Do So As Well. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.amptoons.com/blog/2012/09/01/dad-wears-a-skirt-so-his-son-will-feel-strong-enough-to-do-so-as-well/ Rutherford, Leonie. (2004). Negotiating masculinities: Yolngu Boy, Metro, no. 140, Autumn, pp. 62-69. The Role of Men and Boys in Achieving Gender Equality. (October 7, 2003). Retrieved November 27, 2012, from United Nations website, http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/men-boys2003/Connell-bp.pdf [lacigreen]. (2012, May 10). Men and Femininity. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77lPjNhL5X4 Read More