The evolution of masculinity
Photo Credit: wikiversity.org
By Nizza Munoz
There was once a time when men opened doors, tipped their hats in salutation and stood when a woman walked into a room.
If a girl were looking for a chivalrous male in today’s society she would be searching for quite some time. A needle in a haystack sort of occasion.
Men in the present day have lost that enchanting aspect from their repertoire of masculine guidelines.
But what does masculinity actually mean?
Sociologists label it as hegemonic masculinity. The term hegemonic masculinity refers to the culturally normative ideal of male behaviour. The concept emerged from the theory that there is a hierarchy of masculine behaviour that suggests most societies encourage men to embody a dominant version of masculinity.
Hegemonic masculinity has considerably influenced recent thinking about men, gender, and social hierarchy. The term is relatively recent, only coming into being in the latter of the twentieth century. Since then sociologists such as R.W Connell have been trying to interpret what it means to be masculine.
It is said that studies into masculinity were created because of the feminist movement. Men during the feminist movement felt threatened by women’s newfound power and sense of self, which led to them trying to stall the global gender revolution.
Some sociologists argue that hegemonic masculine traits are the tendency to be homophobic, misogynistic and aggressive. Men who believe themselves to be practicing hegemonic masculinity do not agree with anything that challenges its authority and therefore reject and ridicule all other forms. One of the biggest opponents that hegemonic masculinity faces is homosexuality. It is referred to as subordinate masculinity, men who engage in homosexuality are perceived as not being able to reach hegemonic masculinity because they do not exist at the top of the social hierarchy of power.
The 2006 British film The History Boys, based on the play by the same name written by Alan Bennett, presents a character who challenges this requirement for hegemony: Dakin (played by actor Dominic Cooper), who flirts with and propositions his male teacher, Irwin (played Stephen Campbell Moore). The character’s desire for his male professor places him in the subordinate masculine category.
The changes to masculinity can be clearly depicted in today’s television shows as well. British-American period drama Downton Abbey particularly highlights how men’s behaviour throughout the course of history has significantly been altered.
Downton Abbey is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey and depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants after the post-Edwardian era.
Character Matthew Crawley is the heir to the Downton Abbey estate but it’s his behaviour in the show that is far more interesting. Crawley along with his other male counterparts are well-dressed males that uphold gentlemen values. For instance, they stand if a woman entered or left the room, does not use violence, and try to not be vulgar or show any offensive behaviour in public. To make the drama as authentic to the era as possible, creators of the show Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame had to ensure the male characters were the epitome of masculinity for the time.
In contrast, MTV British reality television show Geordie Shore is an extreme distinction of what males in today’s society have become. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Geordie Shore follows the lives of 12 men and women who all in live in the one house and party, drink and are sexually promiscuous throughout the course of the show. One of the men, Gary ‘Gaz’ Beadle’s most famous quote is “I should have a degree in pulling women.” All the men in the show are depicted as buff, of average intelligence and sexist towards not only the women they have sexual intercourse with but also their housemates.
The three texts serve to illustrate how young people, in particular the males of today behave and interpret hegemonic masculinity.
Seventh-Day-Adventist Pastor Richard Olivares says he has a large congregation of young people at his church and that he tries to instruct and enhance their religious and life experiences.
“As a pastor I try to preach to them about god and teach them to respect and value not only women, and their elders but also each other,” he says.
Pastor Olivares considers there is a significant problem with how the youth are being educated and guided through life.
“Some of the generation of today are suffering from a lack of principles that is suppose to be instilled by their parents at an early stage in their lives,” he says.
He contemplates that society itself has the key to the problem and could solve it if they kept some tradition from the ‘old days.’
“If we the older generations in the community make sure we teach our children our traditional, cultural and individual beliefs then we are saving what is left of this gentlemen behaviour,” Pastor Olivares says.
Ben Carrasco is a young member at Pastor Olivares congregation in his 20s that considers there is a strange focus on young people and masculinity.
“Personally I don’t think about masculinity too much these days,” Ben says truthfully.
“Obviously in high school I had guys that would tease someone because they would act a certain way that wasn’t consider very manly but out in the real world people don’t have to stand for that,” he says.
And what are Ben’s thoughts on the decline of the chivalrous male?
“I don’t think chivalry is dead, my parents have a very loving and honest relationship full of respect for one another and they taught me to have those same values,” he says.
“I have a girlfriend, we’ve been together for about 2 years and I enjoy spending time with her, buying her things and treating her right,” he adds.
The common theme in the hegemonic masculinity debate is that the display of manhood prior to the 1950s, are socially stigmatised and debased fifty years on. Many men in today’s society still yearn to perform and validate their masculinity through ‘conquering the universe’, but unfortunately that comes with aggressive, dominant and emotionally repressed behavior that is often self-destructive. With masculinity changing throughout the generations, the youth of today are re-shaping what it means to be masculine.
There was once a time when men opened doors, tipped their hats in salutation and stood when a woman walked into a room.
If a girl were looking for a chivalrous male in today’s society she would be searching for quite some time. A needle in a haystack sort of occasion.
Men in the present day have lost that enchanting aspect from their repertoire of masculine guidelines.
But what does masculinity actually mean?
Sociologists label it as hegemonic masculinity. The term hegemonic masculinity refers to the culturally normative ideal of male behaviour. The concept emerged from the theory that there is a hierarchy of masculine behaviour that suggests most societies encourage men to embody a dominant version of masculinity.
Hegemonic masculinity has considerably influenced recent thinking about men, gender, and social hierarchy. The term is relatively recent, only coming into being in the latter of the twentieth century. Since then sociologists such as R.W Connell have been trying to interpret what it means to be masculine.
It is said that studies into masculinity were created because of the feminist movement. Men during the feminist movement felt threatened by women’s newfound power and sense of self, which led to them trying to stall the global gender revolution.
Some sociologists argue that hegemonic masculine traits are the tendency to be homophobic, misogynistic and aggressive. Men who believe themselves to be practicing hegemonic masculinity do not agree with anything that challenges its authority and therefore reject and ridicule all other forms. One of the biggest opponents that hegemonic masculinity faces is homosexuality. It is referred to as subordinate masculinity, men who engage in homosexuality are perceived as not being able to reach hegemonic masculinity because they do not exist at the top of the social hierarchy of power.
The 2006 British film The History Boys, based on the play by the same name written by Alan Bennett, presents a character who challenges this requirement for hegemony: Dakin (played by actor Dominic Cooper), who flirts with and propositions his male teacher, Irwin (played Stephen Campbell Moore). The character’s desire for his male professor places him in the subordinate masculine category.
The changes to masculinity can be clearly depicted in today’s television shows as well. British-American period drama Downton Abbey particularly highlights how men’s behaviour throughout the course of history has significantly been altered.
Downton Abbey is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey and depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants after the post-Edwardian era.
Character Matthew Crawley is the heir to the Downton Abbey estate but it’s his behaviour in the show that is far more interesting. Crawley along with his other male counterparts are well-dressed males that uphold gentlemen values. For instance, they stand if a woman entered or left the room, does not use violence, and try to not be vulgar or show any offensive behaviour in public. To make the drama as authentic to the era as possible, creators of the show Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame had to ensure the male characters were the epitome of masculinity for the time.
In contrast, MTV British reality television show Geordie Shore is an extreme distinction of what males in today’s society have become. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Geordie Shore follows the lives of 12 men and women who all in live in the one house and party, drink and are sexually promiscuous throughout the course of the show. One of the men, Gary ‘Gaz’ Beadle’s most famous quote is “I should have a degree in pulling women.” All the men in the show are depicted as buff, of average intelligence and sexist towards not only the women they have sexual intercourse with but also their housemates.
The three texts serve to illustrate how young people, in particular the males of today behave and interpret hegemonic masculinity.
Seventh-Day-Adventist Pastor Richard Olivares says he has a large congregation of young people at his church and that he tries to instruct and enhance their religious and life experiences.
“As a pastor I try to preach to them about god and teach them to respect and value not only women, and their elders but also each other,” he says.
Pastor Olivares considers there is a significant problem with how the youth are being educated and guided through life.
“Some of the generation of today are suffering from a lack of principles that is suppose to be instilled by their parents at an early stage in their lives,” he says.
He contemplates that society itself has the key to the problem and could solve it if they kept some tradition from the ‘old days.’
“If we the older generations in the community make sure we teach our children our traditional, cultural and individual beliefs then we are saving what is left of this gentlemen behaviour,” Pastor Olivares says.
Ben Carrasco is a young member at Pastor Olivares congregation in his 20s that considers there is a strange focus on young people and masculinity.
“Personally I don’t think about masculinity too much these days,” Ben says truthfully.
“Obviously in high school I had guys that would tease someone because they would act a certain way that wasn’t consider very manly but out in the real world people don’t have to stand for that,” he says.
And what are Ben’s thoughts on the decline of the chivalrous male?
“I don’t think chivalry is dead, my parents have a very loving and honest relationship full of respect for one another and they taught me to have those same values,” he says.
“I have a girlfriend, we’ve been together for about 2 years and I enjoy spending time with her, buying her things and treating her right,” he adds.
The common theme in the hegemonic masculinity debate is that the display of manhood prior to the 1950s, are socially stigmatised and debased fifty years on. Many men in today’s society still yearn to perform and validate their masculinity through ‘conquering the universe’, but unfortunately that comes with aggressive, dominant and emotionally repressed behavior that is often self-destructive. With masculinity changing throughout the generations, the youth of today are re-shaping what it means to be masculine.
The YouTube video above is a five-man panel that tackles one of the age old questions to do with masculinity. It was uploaded by yourtango from the http://www.yourtango.com website.