#constructingmasculinity

[brianavillegas]

Men and Feminism: Constructing Masculinity

A section from “Constructing Masculinity” that I had found to be the most interesting and intriguing was the section titled “Escape from the man box.” The man box is described as something that’s used to understand the dominant standards and norms of masculinity. This includes stereotypes towards men that we are all very familiar with. Some stereotypes include the fact that men don’t cry, they are tough, big and aggressive, they enjoy completive sports, they're sexual and powerful. These stereotypes and traits would be things that we would put inside the “man box” and things that aren't associated with mainstream masculinity are outside the man box. This includes things like kindness, sensitivity, gentleness and attentiveness. 

i had found this to be the most interesting because it’s very relevant to how we perceive men and how we as a society say that men are supposed to be like and act like. Not only is it stereotypical but it also doesn't let men be vulnerable and ultimately share their emotions because of the idea that men aren't supposed to have any. Which ultimately just ends up hurting men because there is no safe space for them to be emotional because emotions are associated more with women and if a man is emotional then they're seen as weak. 

i feel like us as a society need to get rid of the inside of this man box and these stereotypical traits that we associate with men. We need to start being more accepting of men being emotional and vulnerable and that just because men have feelings doesn't mean that they're weak. 

[jefrins-blog]

Reflection

When reading the article, Constructing Masculinity, it was very interesting. Seeing what was considered a man before and what we consider a man now. Just looking at how different each example is. Even looking at the way it affects science. The article mentions that even things like sperm and egg get given characteristic of male and female. It is just mind blowing, just how much value and just how important some people believe this stuff is. There shouldn’t be this pressure to become and fit this definition of what a man is, because we know that this can change any moment. In the class we have spoken about the issues with the colors and how before pink was for boys and blue was for girls. This has switched and I wouldn’t be surprised if it switched again. It in a way is just very depressing to think about. There have been examples of men doing just extreme actions, like killing someone or even just killing themselves because they get bullied and just put down. Just because they are not “man enough”. It is a very sad topic and is something that we as a society have to change. This idea of what a man or a woman is supposed to look like, should be stopped. It gives people impossible goals to reach.