Relationship Between Femininity and Masculinity - Essay Example

The representation of relationship between femininity and masculinity: Explore the interchanging roles of men and women Over time, gender roles have evolved to realize a shift from what was previously the norm. Gender roles are not entirely the result of the process of birth but are accrued from various instructions, life experiences and visual emulation of what is happening in society. Color is one strong aspect that has been used to create visual differences between what is considered feminine and what is considered masculine. Toys and clothes designed for children are often color coded where pink is used primarily for those belonging to girls and blue for boys. Ironing sets are often designed in the color pink while tool boxes are designed in colors like blue or brown. These visual life experiences have been key in defining different gender roles for the two sexes. Figure 1: Show Your Inner Power with the MAC Strength Collection The above image, an advertisement by MAC, brings out various aspects of the modern woman. Women were traditionally required to be only seen and not heard. During the Elizabethan era, women were restricted to their more traditional roles of taking care of the home, cooking and cleaning (Williams 1). The were ideally expected to look beautiful and slim (Williams 1) while dressing in long flowing dresses that brought these aspects out. However, the modern day woman has challenged these traditional roles by inculcating various aspects to the concept of femininity (Williams 1). Women have gone ahead to modify the concept of slimness to the extremes of thinness. In addition, atributes of determination, dedication and strength have been gathered to ascribe to the everyday modern woman. The modern woman of today has evolved to cater not only for her biological and social demand of house management but also for her economic and psychological demands of income generation and inner strength (Curiosity, 2012). Media has tried to bring out aspects of strength and beauty in a woman. The above picture depicts the lower half with attributes of beauty and the upper half with attriutes of strength. The herculian pose is perhaps the best depiction of strength that has been used over time. In the past, women were not expected to show aspects of aggresion and strength. They were expected to be quiet for a greater part of their lives (Curiosity, 2012). As such, they had to store up any emotions that they had in their core. Over time, women have thus been perceived to have inner strength in a sublte way. Media has often sought to appeal to women’s inner strength because of society’s appeal to the attribute. The black dress is quite tight on the woman’s body to an extent of exaggeration (Claudon, 1998). It represents women’s constant need to feel slim or thin around the waist. Media has not been able to fully associate its content with the average or plus-size woman because of society’s ideals. Women in the Elizabethan era adorned long dresses as this depicted in the picture (Claudon, 1998). It was a symbol of royalty, dignity and grace because it only allowed the woman to take small majestic and graceful steps. Media often seeks to use aspects of dress and style to appeal to varous attributes that society associates these styles with. The color black is often quite descriptive when used in careful shades and tones (Scott-Kemmis, 2009). Women previously were not expected to dress in black because it was a color associated with mourning, sadness and grief. They were espected to dress in shades of pink, orange and yellow because these were considered more”girly” (Scott-Kemmis, 2009). However, the color black has an appeal of power and strength. Over the years it has found its way into the wadrobes of many women in different styles and tones. Media and visual arts uses color to strongly bring out various aspects of character in its subjects. MAC strength collections, through its advertisement, seeks to appeal to various positive attributes that society has created for women. Figure 2: The house husband The above image of the house husband is perhaps a puzzle for society. This is because men have since eternity been considered to be superior to their female counterparts (Curiosity, 2012). As such, they were not expected to engage in such roles. Masculinity has been used to symbolize the quality of men that allows them to possess power, strength and leadership (www.thefreedictionary.com, 2013). Society perceived man as “tough”, “strong”, “independent” and “respected” (Berger 2). These ideologies are inculcated into them as early as childhood to ensure that they grow up with the understanding. They are rarely expected to show weak emotions as crying or sadness because they are expected to be strong. It is the case such that failure to ascribe to these attributes warrants feelings of shame and resentment from within and without. Society did not look kindy upon men who deviated from this norm. It is because of these expectations that men feel under pressure and manipulated when they fail to meet these expectations (Pedersen 3). The house husband is depicted to have a winding device on his back. Winding devices are popularly used to manipulate the actions of puppets and toys to have them perform a certain repetetive task. It can be implied that perhaps the house husband feels manipulated and under pressure to perform this task of ironing, a role that was previously the reserve of females (Pedersen 3). Men do not like to feel under pressure as denoted by the sad face that “the house husband” has on. Loss of man’s ability to be independent and in control leads to feelings of resentment and failure (Pedersen 3). The house husband is displayed as being muscular even though the task that he is perform does not require the level of strength that can be generated from them. Media often depicts men as muscular and strong respetive of the role they are playing. This goes ahead to imply that society has various perceptions of man. Society will only ascribe to a visual appeal of man that makes him look tough (Berger 2). However, the role of man in society is slowly changing (Curiosity, 2012). The house husband is a concept that would previously have been shunned upon. Men were expected to leave the house to look for work; they were independent. But with current times, an increasing number of men can be found in the home taking up “feminine” duties. This can be attributed to various socio-economic factors. Over tine, there has been a shift in the nature of jobs that are available (Curiosity, 2012). Jobs that are considered “masculine” like engineering and construction have been on the decline while jobs that were considered more “feminine” like nursing and teaching have been on the increase (Curiosity, 2012). In addition, women have been allowed to take up more roles outside the home making it easier for them to secure employment. Women can now be seen taking up senior leadership positions in organization, a concept that was previously not even thought possible. They have gone ahead to be present in many governing bodies and are even heads of nations. Their presence in the job market has increased competition for the few available vacancies. Many men have found themselves out of employment while their wives have formal work outside the home, resulting in their role as house husbands. Media will often utilize various natural aspects of human condition to bring out themes in popular culture. Men will often be displayed as muscular and strong so that whatever aspect of culture they are advertising can be accepted by society. And with the gender equality that has been realized by most progressive societies, there has been a gender shift that has witnessed more men taking up women’s roles and vice versa. Works Cited Marriam Webster. Femininity. n.d. Web. 16 April, 2014. . Curiosity. How are men and womens roles in society changing? 2012. Web. 16 April, 2014. . Williams, T. Empowered Femininity: The Textual Construction of Femininity in Women’s Fitness Magazines, Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2013. Print. Pedersen, L. Sixteen men: Understanding masculine personality types, Shambhala Publications, Lincoln. 2002. Print. Berger, M. Constructing Masculinity illustrated edition, Routledge Ltd. 2012. Print. Claudon, David. Dressing for Shakespeare: The Elizabethan Female. 1998. Web. 16 April, 2014. . Scott-Kemmis, Judy. The Color Black. 2009. Web. 16 April, 2014. Read More