It is not uncommon for one culture to make assumptions about another, especially when the cultures seem to be objectively quite different, such as the East and the West. The Western culture’s general assumptions about Eastern harems is no exception to this pattern. Fatema Mernissi explores this idea in her book Scheherazade Goes West. She explains that the Eastern harems portrayed in Western art are inaccurate because they depict women as passive and vulnerable, whereas women in the East are actually proactive and have a strong sense of equality. Mernissi does not limit herself to simply discussing Eastern harems however, as she eventually shifts her attention to the idea of a Western harem. The Western harem that Mernissi describes in her final chapter, what she calls the “size six harem,” is restrictive to women in ways that she believes Eastern harems are not. Sparked by an uncomfortable experience in a New York City department store, she realizes that …show more content…
Just as women face pressures to be extremely thin in order to be considered beautiful, men face pressures to be strong and muscular in order to be considered attractive. Like women, men that do not fit this ideal body type are often looked down upon. This forces men to adapt their lifestyles in an attempt to strive for this ideal, and this forced conforming could be seen as men being caught in a Western harem. Additionally, Mernissi explains that women are supposed to act childish and silly, citing German philosopher Kant who believes that women who pursue education should be considered ugly. Conversely, men are expected to act tough, hyper-masculine, and rugged. This results in men being forced to suppress any emotions that would expose them as not being as manly as they appear to be from the exterior. This oppression of men’s feelings is another way the Western harem impacts men’s
On the surface, the protagonists of Silko's "Yellow Woman" and Chopin's "Story of an Hour" seem to have little in common. Yet upon closer inspection, both stories relate tales of women who are repressed by the social tenets that define their roles as wives.
All the way through Migdim's incident with arranged marriages, we can understand the old customs that has to do with marriage. It is obvious that, although women were believed to be obedient, they were capable to effectively convince men. Yet, today there seems to be a sign toward polygamous marriages that are eventu...
This shows that the idea of being the most masculine is embedded deep inside and is almost like a disease whose symptoms can become domestic violence.
And this exact same message is being shared, perhaps in different ways, all throughout the world; as young men are continuously bombarded with this indication that somehow any feminine quality should be repressed. Society, through avenues of media and other propaganda, has formed a way of thinking for men that causes them, despite always having these feelings internally, to put on an act which inhibits them from openly expressing any type of femininity, especially in public. In Michael S. Kimmel’s work, Masculinity as Homophobia, he reveals the great secret of all men: We are afraid of other men. Kimmel urges the reader to realize that men are grouped int... ...
Social forces tell the American male hat he live in a way that rejects everything seen as feminine. As outlined in In Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences, Hurst asserts that media often portrays American women as emotional and affectionate (Hurst, p. 126-127). Thus, men who show emotion and affection often receive both physical and verbal attacks from other men due to not rejecting these feminine actions. These conceptions of masculinity damage American males because they repress emotion and simultaneously bolster aggression. The Representation Project is combating this damaging narrative by calling on society to change the overarching stereotypes. In their documentary The Mask You Live In, the Representation Project shows American males engaging in conversations about emotions and harmful masculinity in order to peel away the dangerous mask that harms all persons. Overall, The Representation Project strives to “re-humanize” men by drawing society away from the current
An article entitled “How Boys Become Men,” written by Jon Katz was originally published in January, 1993 in Glamour, a magazine for young women. This article details the process of a boy growing into a man and mainly focus on the lesson boys learn that effect their adult lives. These lessons are about how to hold back emotions and never appeared sensitive. The author includes examples of his own experiences as a boy to convey to the reader the challenges of growing into a man. Through the various stories of young boys, the author is trying to prove that the men are insensitive because they had to learn to hide their feelings during the stage of growing up with other boys. The purpose of the author is to explain the women of the world, why men appear to be emotionalist and “macho.” The author’s main idea of this article is to explain why men are insensitive and to help women understand why men sometimes seem “remote” and “uncommunicative.”
Early feminist studies of gender often depicted the expression of masculinity as solely meant to subordinate women. Upon further research and understanding of gender and its role in society, gender theorists have realized that masculinity is not only a patriarchal regulation against women, but that it also has negative effects against men. Masculinity has different characteristics in different cultures, but masculinity in general presents a hierarchy of traits, with femininity as the lowest, least desirable trait. In American culture, masculinity is defined within multiple structures, such as race, class, and sexuality, where a man’s masculinity can be lessened by his traits as well as these identities. Often, normative expressions of masculinity
The way individuals discipline their body is analogous to how they act towards the idea of power and status. How bodies are trained to emit gender distinctions is similar to how people tend to clothe their bodies. The way people tend to “sit, stand, gesture, walk, and throw” are different depending on their performance of masculinity or femininity (Martin 297). Women’s bodies tend to be more “confined, their movements restricted (Martin 297).” The term “femininity” defines the idea that the female sex is perceived with specific traits and characteristics. Crossing their legs, sitting up straight, having a softer voice and light footsteps are all ways in which women become naturally embedded to the gender norms. She is ascribed to be more gentle, nurturing, and emotional, and weak. These traits she attains are given by society the moment she is born, creating an idealized sexually more inferior identity than that of a male. By analyzing the socially constructed gender profile of men, it is easy to see how society creates a more dominant and powerful facade. They are stereotyped to being more aggressive, highly sexual, strong, competitive, emotionless, and in control. These socially constructed differences confines males and females to particular character profiles that limit their equality as a whole. The bodies are gendered “as a product of social doing; constituted through interaction (West and Zimmerman 175).” The way male and female establish their gender order in society correlates to their mentality as a whole. Overall masculinity is more valued than femininity in society. Masculinity correlates to gender privilege. An inequality that gives males the access to more power, resources and positions due to the traditional notions of gender roles. Men are given a greater advantage because he is deemed more capable to fend for himself. He is given greater power in the working field and
A significant part of the examination and approach in feminist studies of men has been critical of men 's forcefulness and brutality, however there is a space where men are indicating sustaining abilities and eagerness to take part in the domestic obligations with the women in their lives (Lorber, 2012, p.271) For instance, in the film Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin William 's character Daniel is unable to see his kids. In order to connect with them he is compelled to dress as a lady, and becomes employed in an occupation where a male figure would not be utilized. The involvement in the child’s life aids to reclaim fatherhood and help alter the view people have on men in general. Moreover, men themselves have already begun the push to alter masculinity. For example, a video shown in lecture demonstrates, men in Japan, transforming masculinity through herbivorous ways. Instead of conforming to the stereotypical male – aggressive, tough, strong – they change the way in which they act focusing on the ways in which they look in terms of their fashion etc. thus undermining hegemonic masculine ideals. It highlights many Asian women’s dissatisfaction with conventional male roles/behaviours while likewise signalling a growing desire in Asian men for a less aggressive and corporate lifestyle (Talahite – Moodley,
The biological differences that set apart the male and female gender throughout any culture remain eminent. Men are perceived as the stronger and dominant gender; women play the role of the weaker. In each culture the expectation of the manner in which men and women behave are influenced by the ideals and customs of that culture. In most predominant cultures, the man undertakes the role as a leader, and the woman devotes her life to the husband. Throughout history, traditions and literature provide a template to the identities of various cultures. Sleeping Beauty’s classic tale of a beautiful princess takes a central precept that previous patriarchal archetypes dominated during the 17th Century. The archetypal perceptions of women resulted from conscious and unconscious literature influenced by male-dominated perspectives and social standards.
Over time, the image of men has changed. This is due mostly to the relaxation of rigid stereotypical roles of the two genders. In different pieces of literature, however, men have been presented as the traditional dominate figure, the provider and rule maker or non-traditional figure that is almost useless and unimportant unless needed for sexual intercourse. This dramatic difference can either perpetuate the already existing stereotype or challenge it. Regardless of the differences, both seem to put men into a negative connotation.
As a child develops, their surroundings have a major influence on the rest of their lives; if boys are taught to “man up” or never to do something “like a girl”, they will become men in constant fear of not being masculine enough. Through elementary and middle school ages, boys are taught that a tough, violent, strong, in-control man is the ideal in society and they beat themselves up until they reach that ideal. They have to fit into the “man box” (Men and Masculinity) and if they do not fulfill the expectations, they could experience physical and verbal bullying from others. Not only are friends and family influencing the definition of masculine, but marketing and toys stretch the difference between a “boy’s toy” and a “girl’s toy”. Even as early as 2 years old, children learn to play and prefer their gender’s toys over the other gender’s (Putnam). When children grow up hearing gender stereotypes from everyone around them, especially those they love and trust like their parents, they begin to submit themselves and experience a loss of individuality trying to become society’s ideal. If everyone is becoming the same ideal, no one has a sense of self or uniqueness anymore and the culture suffers from
A lady is an object, one which men attempt to dominate. A man craves to get a hold of this being beneath his command, and forever have her at his disposal. In her piece “Size Six: The Western Women’s Harem,” published in 2002, Fatema Mernissi illustrates how Eastern and Western women are subjugated by the control of men. Mernissi argues that though she may have derived from a society where a woman has to cover her face, a Western woman has to face daily atrocities far worse then ones an Eastern woman will encounter. Moreover, Mernissi’s core dogma in “Size 6: The Western Women's Harem” is that Western women are not more fortunate than women raised into harems in other societies. Additionally, she asserts that though women in the Western world are given liberties, they coincide with the unattainable ideals of what is aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, to strengthen her argument towards her wavering audience, Mernissi’s main approach in her paper is to get the reader to relate with her issue by means of an emotional appeal, while also utilizing both the ethical and logical appeal to support her thesis.
Prior to the 1970s when the theme of gender issues was still quite foreign, the societal norm forced female conformity to male determined standards because “this is a man’s world” (Kerr 406). The patriarchal society painted the image of both men and women accordingly to man’s approach of societal standards that include the defining features of manhood that consist of “gentil...
While it has traditionally been men who have attached the "ball and chain" philosophy to marriage, Kate Chopin gave readers a woman’s view of how repressive and confining marriage can be for a woman, both spiritually and sexually. While many of her works incorporated the notion of women as repressed beings ready to erupt into a sexual a hurricane, none were as tempestuous as The Storm.