1.  Lesson 17: Masculinity Social Problems Robert Wonser 1

2. Lesson 10: Men and Masculinities 2 What do We think about ourselves? Ask Google

3. Lesson 10: Men and Masculinities 3 Masculinity as Opposite of Femininity

4. 4 Masculinity, some notes  Refer back to the lists we put on the board  Masculinity is defined by what it is not, namely femininity.  Masculinity is primarily a homosocial activity.  Girl watching  Street harassment Street harassment  Gender policing  Richie Incognito Richie Incognito

5. 5 Masculinity in Context  We come to know what it means to be a man by setting our definitions in opposition to a set of ‘others’— racial minorities, sexual minorities, and above all women.  This is how masculinities are stratified.

6. 6 Masculinity changes through time  Firmly rooted in social context:  Genteel patriarch – derived identity from land ownership (supervising his estate, he was refined, elegant and given to casual sensuousness)  Heroic artisan – embodied the physical strength and republican virtue that Jefferson observed in the farmer, independent urban craftsman or shopkeeper  Marketplace masculinity – normative definition of masculinity. Involves aggression, competition, anxiety in the public sphere, marketplace

7. 7 How do you Insult a Man?

8. 8 Homophobia; men are afraid of other men  We come to know what it means to be a man by setting our definitions in opposition to a set of ‘others’—racial minorities, sexual minorities, and above all women  Hegemonic masculinity is the image of masculinity of those men in power, which has become the standard for evaluations for young men to become ‘real men’.

9. 9 Manhood:  “No Sissy Stuff!”  Never do anything remotely feminine; ever.  “Be a Big Wheel.”  Masculinity is measured by power, success, wealth and status  “Be a Sturdy Oak.”  Calm and reliable in crisis. Keep emotions in check; always.  “Give ‘em Hell.”  Exude an aura of manly daring and aggression. Go for it. Take risks.

10. 10 Sexuality  Which explains the performative aspects of Masculinity. Ultimately, we perform for other men.  Heteronormativity  And heterosexism  Male gender policing often takes the form of violence and sexuality questioning  Hegemonic masculinity  To always be ‘in control’  Violence (use of, threat of and condoning of)

11. 11 The Betrayal of the American Man  For some men it is hard to recognize themselves as dominators when they feel dominated  According to Faludi, “women were able to take action, paradoxically, by understanding how they were acted upon. Men feel the contours of a box, too, but they are told that the box is of their own manufacture, designed to their specifications.”  WWII veterans, masculinity revolved around providing rather than dominating

12. 12 Post WWII Affluence quickly Gave way to Deindustrialization  Old masculinity is unavailable (was predicated on providing).  Men are told to be masculine is to consume and buy the right products.  And to look like this   Ultimately, leads to failure

13. 13 Man Up!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ CosUEsUZI&list=PL161E77F6CA7C4FE0&in dex=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ CosUEsUZI&list=PL161E77F6CA7C4FE0&in dex=4  What does that phrase even mean?  What do we think about ourselves? Ask advertisements!

14. 14  Men have no clearly defined enemy who is oppressing them. Who is it?  Men have invented antagonists to make their problems visible—scheming feminists, affirmative-action proponents, illegal aliens—have come to seem increasingly unconvincing as explanations for their situation.

15. 15 Masculinity in Crisis  Where do men fit in in a culture where we’ve focused on what it is to be feminine but haven’t updated our definitions of masculinity to mesh with our contemporary culture and economic reality.

16. 16  Our expectations for women have changed, what about what we expect for men?

17. 17 Angry White Men  Increasingly men have been turning to new (some, not all or entirely) methods to demonstrate masculinity.  Can you think of any?