How True Is It to Say that Femininity and Masculinity Are Social Constructs - Essay Example

How true is it to say that femininity and masculinity are social constructs? Social constructs are those concepts within the society which have evolved over a period of time due to some basis which might or might not be true. There could be a sense of ambiguity attached with these social constructs and these essentially hamper the whole process of understanding a particular form in one way or the other. There are a number of social constructs that exist in the times of today and the same have been for our understanding for so long now that they have started to seem pretty much a part and parcel of our very existence. The aspects of femininity and masculinity are something which is easily bracketed under the social constructs heading and this has been case for quite a number of decades now, if not centuries. The related linkages are predominantly the root cause for these social constructs to arise in the first place. Social constructs are indeed the entities which have been institutionalized in a social hierarchical system and which have been invented or constructed by a number of different participants which are in essence part of those very systems. These social constructs are remnant of the society or the culture that we are talking about and the same exist because people have followed the related regimes for so long now that it has become a part of their system, their day to day thinking mindset and the impending approach which has come about due to the very same. These social constructs could also be in line with the different traditional rules which are being followed over a period of time and then there are the discussions related with the conventional thinking and analysis hierarchies. The aspect of social constructionism looks to suggest some ways within the understanding module of the social constructions where detection of the same aspects are also judged and found out. The analysis forms an important ingredient of the very same subject. Social constructs are pretty different from the social realities that exist within a society or a culture since the latter focuses more on the real happenings and not what the whole ideology or the thinking mindset can and cannot be. What this brings to light is the fact that the social constructs look to narrow the basis for the developing thinking mindsets and the eventually related ideologies which come about due to one reason or the other. Social constructs have a lot of say on the way men and women perceive their own genders as well as of the opposite ones. Since femininity and masculinity are nothing more than social constructs themselves, we must focus on what this concept is all about, pertaining to the topic of femininity and masculinity and how solace can be derived from a better grasp of things which are in one way or the other a direct connection of the two sub headings of the social constructs. The aspects related with femininity are that of softness and tenderness where the women are perceived to be weak and a gender which cannot defend itself. There is an absolute unison in the theory that females cannot take on the males since the latter are renowned for their muscular abilities and that the aspect of femininity is more inclined towards the fashion and beauty regimes than anything else. However this is not a fact which could be adhered to, under any thinking or reality model. It has been seen that the females can be somewhat at par with the males when it comes to really withstanding pressure and the men have fallen short on the aspect of taking more pressure than their female counterparts. Since the femininity notion does not speak much of the attributes which are really central to a female as such and focus more on what has been a popular thinking ideology more than anything else. The falsifications can further be highlighted in the light of the facts that women are perceived to be the ones who cannot work for long since they would never be able to meet figures and sales trends within an office environment. However research has proved that this is not the case and the women are at par with the male counterparts working within the same offices and at times they have even been on the superior side. Shopping is related with the social construct of femininity and this exercise is suggested by Marilyn Monroe when she says that "...I’ve found out it’s fun to go shopping. It’s such a feminine thing to do." (Ms. Magazine, 1972) Next, we see the aspect of femininity given more air than the male counterparts in the US Senate, courtesy Sherian Grace Cadoria where she suggests that "By act of Congress, male officers are gentlemen, but by act of God, we are ladies. We don’t have to be little mini-men and try to be masculine and use obscene language to come across. I can take you and flip you on the floor and put your arms behind your back and you’ll never move again, without your ever knowing that I can do it." (Lanker, 1989) As far as masculinity is concerned, there is this notion ingrained in the minds of the people that a man should never cry since he is a man, which is so against the concept of being a human being. Anyone can have an emotional fit since both men and women are human beings having heart and mind. Crying or weeping on the part of a man is considered to be a real excuse and the question which is asked in such a situation goes directly on the manhood of a person. The kids are however not associated with the aspect of masculinity in the same vein as the young adults are. Then there is the social construct of smoking and taking drugs since the young men think they would look really masculine and manly if they take all these fatal things. This is one serious problem for one and all to counter since no one can really like cool and masculine if he follows the path of adopting drugs just for no reason whatsoever. The excuses that are provided in the wake of these things carry no weight by any means. The real problem with these social constructs is that they are fed into the minds of the young ones and since they grow over a period of time, the same becomes quite a distinctive feeling within their minds and hence it becomes a real uphill task to remove these thinking regimes from their minds as such. Norman Mailer suggests that “Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honor.” (URL: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/norman_mailer/) As far as men and violence is concerned, Andrea Dworkin is of the view that “Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of others honoring their sacred and proven masculinity. In male culture, police are heroic and so are outlaws; males who enforce standards are heroic and so are those who violate them.” (URL: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/andrea_dworkin/) Hence the quotations used here suggest that the sociologists think along the same lines as do the common men and women, however the difference is in understanding the very basis of social constructionism related with the very same. The social constructs could be changed over a period of time, but then there is a dire need to understand the very basis of its shift, courtesy within the attitudes of the people and the feelings that they have had over a certain period of time. The gender conundrum is somewhat of an interesting debate and this must be seen in the related contexts so as to reach to a common point where one can grasp the true feeling of being a man or a woman. Just attaching one’s own self with the masculinity and femininity subjects is an exercise in futility since everyone has his or her own imagination, thinking mindset and realistic regime of the said topics. All said and done, the need here is to make sure that the social constructions are avoided by individuals of a society or a culture for that matter as much as one can. What this will do is to make sure that the people will gain a more realistic look into what the rest of the individuals of the society actually are rather than having a feel about them without even getting to know what they are made up of. The understanding is pretty pivotal role since it forms the very basis for the shift in attitude and thinking tilt. All said and done, people need to broaden their canvas to get the hang of realistic things and focus less and less on the social constructs which somehow or the other have passed the test of times, though in an unfortunate way. BIBLIOGRAPHY BREEN, Dana. (1993). Unleashing Our Unknown Selves: An Inquiry into the Future of Femininity and Masculinity. Praeger Publishers CADORIA, Sherian Grace. (1989). I Dream a World by Brian Lanker. URL: http://history.enotes.com/famous-quotes/by-act-of-congress-male-officers-are-gentlemen-but CHANG, Chingching. (2006). Cultural Masculinity/femininity Influences on Advertising Appeals. Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 46 DWORKIN, Andrea. URL: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/andrea_dworkin/ HATTIE, John A. (2005). Personal Definitions of Masculinity and Femininity as an Aspect of Gender Self-Concept. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, Vol. 44 HOFFMAN, Rose Marie. (2001). The Measurement of Masculinity and Femininity: Historical Perspective and Implications for Counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol. 79 MAILER, Norman. URL: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/norman_mailer/ MONROE, Marilyn. (1972). Ms. Magazine. URL: http://history.enotes.com/famous-quotes/ive-found-out-its-fun-to-go-shopping-its-such-a Word Count: 1,510 Read More