Femininity In American Culture Essay

In today’s society, the meaning of femininity and masculinity vary. The word femininity was understood as the complete opposite of masculinity. When you hear the word masculine the first word that comes to mind is “man.” Men are thought to be dominate, tough, and authority figures. Women are defined as feminine. The word feminine normally bring words such as submissive and sensitive in American culture. Thus, this paper will explain the meaning of femininity and masculinity in American culture, if those definitions are universal, and how over time both sexes have choose characteristics from the opposite sex and it’s perceived. Since the beginning of time, women have been expected to conform to the idea that women should sit back in the shadow

Masculinity in many countries means having qualities traditionally associated with men. Some qualities that stand for masculinity in American culture is independent, non-emotional, tough-skinned, aggressive and even competitive also mean the same in other countries. Not showing any form of those characteristics made a man seem less than a man in American culture. Women also had a role to play in their society by showing femininity. Femininity in in many countries and other cultures can mean a set of attributes behaviors and roles generally associated with women. Without showing characteristics such as gentleness, sensitivity, empathy, or even caring would make a women less than a woman. In other countries this could be a bad thing not showing feminine characteristics. Many countries are accepting to feminine acts. In Nigeria men will dress up during a special ceremony in order to attract a wife. They wear make-up to show off their features, they wear their best out-fits, and jewelry. They then dance before single women in their village. These men may appear to be feminine by others standards, but in their culture makeup, dress, and behavior are a normal