The New Men of Television
Men in television have evolved. They’ve went from being required to be heroes, followed by a wave of antiheroes who need to act out. Although these two types of male characters still exist, there is new male character in town breaking down the traditional boundaries of hero/antihero masculinity. These new guys on the block offer us men who are neither masculine or feminine in their entirety, they are simply and completely complex persons.
Antihero Craze: men need to revel in bad behavior
Breaking Bad-Walter White
“the implication often being that acting out is all that men wanted to do, in the face of social constructs enforced by largely female wet blankets — your Skyler Whites. What only the best shows about male antiheroes got around to discussing was that this vision of men behaving badly was limited and suffocating; a desperate attempt at machismo that didn’t make anyone happy. If anything, the frantic debauchery of these antiheroes seemed to be in response to a world that was expanding faster than they themselves could; a world where gender and sexuality are increasingly fluid, where national borders matter less and less.”
Breaking Masculinity: neither heroes or antiheroes, just their complex selves
True Detective-Rust and Marty
Two cops striped down to their real selves. Friends who aren’t afraid of real connection and support for each other. Existence away from machismo towards existence as people.
“What binds them together, and propels them out of their respective ruts, is their unexpected investment in each other and in this case they worked on so long ago — a case that seemed to scrape away their respective bullshit to reveal who they really were, who they were really trying to be. And as the story comes to its violent end, Rust and Marty talk about existence separate from the false trappings of machismo, attempting instead to talk about their souls, about good and bad and fighting for the light. But there was something magical in what that show tried to say about not what you can get away with by being a man, and instead, what it means.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PZsikK2DVg
Modern Family-Phil Dunphy
Dad, husband, son-in-law, and all that he is as a person. He is not defined by trying to be a stereotypical realtor or a macho dad. His character is completely himself in all situations, allowing men to be dynamic, multifaceted, and realistic.
Phil and Jay also show that men can be sensitive and open-minded, loving and supportive.
All of the men in this show are multifaceted, flawed beings with passions science, but other things as well. They are not restricted by the stereotypical “nerdy guy” persona, but rather transcend and embrace it all at once, giving us realistic and relatable male characters.
“The Big Bang Theory” pursues the idea of masculinity in a different way, entwining scientific passion and passionate love together into a thrilling comedy that portrays the geeky, studious, and spirited nature of each character. Three of the male characters eventually fall in love; however, their dogged scientific pursuit of knowledge of the natural universe still continues throughout the show.”
These shows portraying men as multifaceted, realistic, relateable characters with flaws and redeeming qualities do men more justice than the prior. These characters are not limiting. These characters transcend stereotypes giving viewers the ability to be inspired to discover their true selves outside of how social constructs would define them.
Dismantling masculinity helps everyone. It’s about being what you are, scraped clean of the drag of society; it’s about being who you were born to be. And not just surviving, but thriving as a result of being completely and truly yourself.
1. Do you think the growth of the “new man” on television will aid in dismantling stereotypes of masculinity? Why or why not?
2. Do people relate to these characters? Do you feel validated by them?
