The Meaning of Masculinity in Today's Society

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INTRODUCTION
We live in a world where society has defined masculine and famine characteristics and features that have influenced our culture. Men are seen as:

• Strong
• Powerful
• Aggressive
• Fearless
• Outspoken
• Tough
• Demanding

Whereas females are known to be:

• Soft
• Warming
• Caring
• Weak
• Fearful
• Quiet
• Powerless

Being tough and aggressive does not make you man enough because in today’s world, we have men who are exactly the opposite of society’s definition of masculine. I chose this topic because I feel I can have more information and resources to write this document set. As I was thinking about this work, I began asking myself questions- why does society expect men to act and behave autonomously and be in control and if they are not what society expects, they call them names such as gay, weak, timid or coward? Masculinity has affected every aspect of our lives including sports. There is a cliché that football is a game for “men” and therefore, if I am a football player, I have to be strong, aggressive and defensive. The media constantly shows videos and movies that depict strong and aggressive men as heroes and they forget that, encouraging male empowerment is another way of encouraging patriarchy. Some men also argues that, they are tough and aggressive by nature. They claim men produce testosterone which is a link to the violent lifestyle of men. I decided to look into these misconceptions and find out how true these could be so I read other literature that could be compared to my research.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
I started gathering information by watching movies that are much centered on masculinity and patriarchy and I also made a general search on masculinity. I watched documentaries and televisio...

... middle of paper ...

...elation to violence and aggressiveness.

Works Cited
“A History Of Violence." Dir. David Cronenberg. Perf. Viggo Mortensen. 2005. Movie.
Archer, J. "Male Violence." 1994. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
Cristene, Chelsea. "The NFL and Domestic Violence." 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014.
Mims, Christopher. "Strange But True: Testosterone Alone Does Not Cause Violence." Scientific American (2007): 8. Journal.
OnMilw. OnMadison. 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 Feb. 2014.
Oppliger, Patrice. "Wrestling and Hyper-Masculinity." Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2003. Book.
Renzetti, Claire M. and Raquel Kennedy Bergen. "Violence Against Women." Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Book.
"Summary of Michael Vick Dogfighting Case." 14 Aug. 2009. Web. 05 May 2014.
"Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinityy." Perf. Jackson Katz and Jeremy Earp. 1999. Film.

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