1. In Riseman and Seale’s chapter Betwixt and Be Tween, they focus on how sexual identity can be used to police a male’s masculinity. It can start with something as innocent as a shy, quiet boy who starts to be picked on because he is no assertive or aggressive like the other males. The way he is picked on can be the other boy’s called him a: faggot, gay, homo, or boy lover. This means at a young age boys start to think they have to be a certain way to seem manly: assertive, enjoy sports, and be better than girls in all aspects; these are just a few ways boys try to prove their masculinity. One example that proves this was discussed in this chapter. Some students, both male and female, are given a hypothetical situation about a boy, Marcus, …show more content…
One student even said she would not stay friends with Marcus because people might start to think that she is gay, too. Situations like these stem from the way boys think they have to act at such a young age. They are brought up thinking they have to be strong, rowdy, and play manly sports. As they get older this sticks with them, so when a male tries to break outside of it, they get referred to as gay and homosexual. This continues all their life and it effects many situations, like the way men have hook-ups. In the chapter Orgasm in College Hookups and Relationships the authors discuss how 74 percent of their respondents had at least one hookup by their senior year of college. The data also showed that men are almost always at least twenty percent more likely to orgasm than women. However, this is not true when a girl and guy are in a relationship. I think reasons for this could come from how males learn at a young age how masculinity and sexual orientation correlate. This leads to men thinking that the more females they have sex with, the more masculine they are. Also, the women do not orgasm because it is just about the guy having one, then being …show more content…
One of the presentations that I enjoyed the most was Pruva’s presentation on the misconceptions of arranged marriages. Before the presentation I had a negative view on arranged marriages but through the presentation I learned why it is not as bad as people think. The people being set up do not mind it, and 65 percent of Indian students believe that parents should have the final say or their marriage. There was also a study done proving that there is not a difference in happiness levels between arranged marriages verses love marriages. However, there is one thing she should of elaborated on; the definition of arranged marriages. She said arranged marriages are when a third party is involved. This was a little confusing because I am unsure if this means things like friends setting up people count, or if something like online dating websites would count. Though, overall it was a very good and informative presentation. Another presentation I enjoyed was the presentation on the age gap in relationships. I always thought an age gap was around five years or more but really it starts at about ten years. In this presentation I learned that society can make the relationships hard and even cause people to break up. Though, these people are really in love and it is not fair to them for society to negatively judge them. I also liked that she had been in an age gap relationship before so she could understand the emotions better. These presentations make the overall class experience
The movie, Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinity produced by Jackson Katz and Jeremy Earp, deconstructs the concepts that create the social constructs of masculinity. Masculinity, a set of behaviors, roles, and attributes correlating to men, is earned, not given (Conley 190). Starting from television shows to children’s toys, the idea of masculinity has infiltrated their minds starting at a young age. Moreover, the concept of masculinity has physical attributes, such as muscles, a deep voice, and be able to protect themselves. Masculinity, for boys of any races, socioeconomic classes, or ethnicity, has grown up with the same stereotypical image of what a man should entail. Since many media outlets show that a form of masculinity
Pascoe is inferring that the word “fag” is used a lot to describe feminine qualities within highschool boys. The way she developed the main point was very simple to understand. The author use examples, scenarios, and the answers of male high school students to contribute to the main point. Including examples, scenarios, and real answers from high school students strengthened her position. When Pascoe says, “ But becoming a fag is as much to do with failing at the masculine tasks of competence, heterosexual prowess, and strength or in any way revealing weakness or femininity as it does with a sexual identity”( Pascoe 210) , she is showing her viewpoint of the subject. She then later gives the example of the “Eminem Exception”. Eminem is a famous white rapper who uses the word “faggot” in his music. He claims that he uses
In the essay, “The High Cost of Manliness,” writer Robert Jensen discusses the harmful effects of having male specific characteristics, such as masculinity. Jensen realizes that men’s actions and ways of living are judged based upon the characteristic of being manly. He argues that there is no valid reason to have characteristics associated with being male. Society has created the notion that masculinity is the characteristic that defines males as males.
In Kimmel’s essay “’Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” he argues that the influence of society on masculinity is equal to or greater than biological influences on masculinity. In the essay, Kimmel uses various surveys and interviews to validate his argument. He points to peers, coaches, and family members as the people most likely to influence the development of a man’s masculinity. When a man has his manliness questioned, he immediately makes the decision never to say or do whatever caused him to be called a wimp, or unmanly. Kimmel’s argument is somewhat effective because the readers get firsthand accounts from the interviewees but the author does not provide any statistics to support his argument.
There a many definitions of masculinity and those definitions are heavily influenced by culture, environment, media, and the child’s parents. When young men start to reach their sexual maturity, they have to create their own definition of what it is to be a man. The idea of masculinity creates a lot of questions, because there is no resource that will give a young male the answer. Due to this, young males learn what it is to be a man from a grab bag of possibilities. Eventually, the young male will have accumulated traits, appearances, behavior, and so on that defines what it is to be a man. With a new sense of self, the young male transforms into his idea of masculinity. In the Maltase Flacon, masculinity is defined through the actions of Sam Spade whom demonstrates the masculine principals of making his achievement of alpha male status a top priority, aggressive behavior, avoiding being feminine, homophobic, and restriction of his emotions (Meek) through his interaction with several characters throughout the film.
Aaron Devor’s essay “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender” describes how despite popular belief, gender and sex are not directly related and how social norms affect individual’s choice of gender. Devor‘s main argument is that gender is not determined by genitalia, but instead by the individual's own choices. Michael Kimmel’s essay “Masculinity as Homophobia” claims that gender equality is a positive thing for males and that social norms force men to act a certain way. Kimmel’s main argument is that men are always having to protect their masculinity in order to prevent themselves from appearing weak. Both authors present compelling arguments for both gender equality and for how social norms influence individuals’ gender choice. However, the two authors approach the same topic in different ways. Kimmel takes a more laid-back approach to the topic by using simple words and a conversational tone that relates to the casual gender sociologist. Devor writes a more sophisticated essay using complex terms and a more formal tone that relates to the serious sociologist that research gender studies.
His work also sheds light on why different gender roles are hard for people to accept, due to the way they were brought up, and the culture they are surrounded by (Devor 8). With the belief that gender role behaviors are concrete, teenage boys believe that they must act according to their gender.
It is a widely accepted notion that social context and setting is very dependent upon gender. However, the converse is what appears to be true. Sex is biological and static, however gender is a social construct that is almost entirely dependent upon the social context in which it is placed. Contrary to what is often believed, gender is an idea that society constructs and students learn at a very early age. Once gender roles are learned, it can be incredibly damaging to act out of these roles because peer criticism as well as sheer belittlement will likely ensue. In Learning Silence by Peggy Orenstein, and Pascoe’s Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, this reality that gender is dependent upon social context is discussed. More specifically, male masculinity and its dependency on femininity, or in any case, a lack of masculinity.
Boys have to hide their true selves and feelings to fit in, but in society expect men to be both tough and gentle, and be able to express their feeling, try to not hide behind the mask. Regardless, masculinity is an unrealistic expectation of men. Who cares what others think as long as they be their true self. It is apparent through my though that this essay is a good source to research or write an essay and can be teach. This essay helps parents learn more about their children feeling and grow into manhood to become real men.
Heteronormativity is a social concept that regards heterosexuality, as well as the feminine and masculine gender roles, as the norm, which implicitly suggests that everyone outside of them could be considered abnormal. In her essay “No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That”, Emily W. Kane observes how many parents feel as if they have a “responsibility for the accomplishment of masculinity as linked to heterosexuality” (96), which is often associated to how their sons must fit into acceptable gender boundaries. Parents may act to suppress their children’s behaviors when these boundaries are crossed in a distinctive manner, such as when boys insist on wanting Barbie dolls or polishing their nails, and attempt to make their sons successfully accomplish heterosexuality. Daughters are freer to cross gender boundaries during childhood, but the connection
The same analysis can be applied to the construction of gender in the ethnographic situation that C.J Pascoe describes in her article “Dude, You’re a Fag”: Adolescent Masculinity and the Fag Discourse.” Pascoe conducts her research in north-central California at a suburban high school she referred to as River High in which she interviews the students on their ideas of gender and the “fag” identity (Pascoe 2005, 333). In the article, she suggests that ideas about gender heavily relies on the difference in the expression of masculinity. In River High, boys use “fag” to describe one’s masculine incompetence, heterosexual prowess and strength (Pascoe 2005, 330). Ben, a white sophomore from River High, explains that anyone can be a called a “fag,” even turning a wrench the wrong way can evoke such name calling (Pascoe 2005, 337).
Throughout today’s society, almost every aspect of someone’s day is based whether or not he or she fits into the “norm” that has been created. Specifically, masculine and feminine norms have a great impact that force people to question “am I a true man or woman?” After doing substantial research on the basis of masculine or feminine norms, it is clear that society focuses on the males being the dominant figures. If males are not fulfilling the masculine role, and females aren’t playing their role, then their gender identity becomes foggy, according to their personal judgment, as well as society’s.
Basically, what one needs to know before proceeding to read through this analysis of gender development is that gender identity refers to “one’s sense of oneself as male, female, or transgender” (American Psychological Association, 2006). When one’s gender identity and biological sex are not congruent, the individual may identify as transsexual or as another transgender category (cf. Gainor, 2000). Example, Jennifer in the book, She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders, who brought us through the struggle of living a transgendered life from start to finish. Also, the formation of gender identity is influenced by social factors, such as family, friends, the environment, etc. For example, fathers tend to be more involved when their sons engage in gender-appropriate activities such as playing baseball or soccer rather than wanting to become a dancer or a cheerleader.
‘Dude, You’re a Fag’: Adolescent Masculinity and the Fag Discourse - C. J. Pascoe 2005
The debate over homosexuality as nature or nurture dominates most topics about homosexuality. People often confuse the nature/nurture issue with the development of gay identity. In fact, the nature/nurture argument plays a small, insignificant role concerning gay youths (Walling 11). Homosexual identity is the view of the self as homosexual in association with romantic and sexual situations (Troiden 46) Many researchers have either discussed or created several models or theories concerning the development of homosexual identity. However, the most prominent is Troiden’s sociological four-stage model of homosexual identity formation. Dr. Richard R. Troiden desc...