Month: March 2023

What are some of the consequences of hegemonic masculinities and military discourse for men?

Not even a minute into “The Mask You Live In” is there an example of the way hegemonic masculinities are exemplified. “Be A Man” (0:26) and “Stop With The Tears, Stop With The Emotions” (0:29), and “If you are gonna be a man in this world, you better learn how to dominate, and control people and circumstances” (0:30). “We’ve constructed an idea of masculinity in the United States that doesn’t give young boys, a way to feel secure in their masculinity, so we make them go prove it all the time” (5:32).

One consequence that is evident throughout this film was when Steven discussed his struggle with having a strained relationship with his father in his adolescence. His father demonstrated toxic masculinity by teaching Steven to get a job, be tough, be a womanizer and not show emotions (18:25). Having that influence growing up and now trying to raise his son differently, he discusses the hardships. He has had to face his son having feelings after he told him “Daddy, I am sensitive” (19:45) and Steven had to learn how to engage and support his son and not deter him away from feeling. By growing up with the influence of toxic masculinity the cycle unfortunately for many men is passed down through generations.

One consequence that was evident in the film was Luis story of the time that he was lonely and depressed and turn to marijuana. “We recognize more and more that adolescents are more likely to be depressed and suicidal, but we imagine that will be female adolescents, because of the way we define depression. More removed more quiet, not responding. What boys tend to do when they are getting depressed is actually the opposite…they see them as a bad kid” (36:15). This must be recognized when thinking about the high rates of suicide in boys and men. “Boys have five times to suicide rate over girls” (37:21). Boys are required to hide behind their masculinity and asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness.

How are masculinities constructed, reproduced and contested in popular culture?

Blind Side Video Trailer

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi402784793/?ref_=tt_vi_i_2

Masculinities are constructed in TV shows and movies. They are portrayed as violent, more aggressive, powerful, emotionless, and strong (14:40). You rarely see male characters cry or show emotions in pop culture. The popular movie Home Alone portrays toxic masculinity. Kevin must protect the home, show little emotions, and be tough because he is the “new man of the house” while his parents are away. One of my favourite movies The Blind Side would be another example of toxic masculinity. Michael is a sensitive character but has to put on a brave face to live in his challenging world. They then put him in football to show his masculine side, which involves being protective and tough. Football is seen as a man’s sport and “football players don’t cry” (16:58).

Neighbours Trailer (2014) : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2004420/

Another way that masculinity is represented In pop culture is through partying which includes, drinking, drugs, and girls. “You feel out of place if you are the only sober one there” (31:05). This can often be seen in our movies such as the movie Neighbours starring Seth Rogan and Zack Efron.

Sports are another pop culture that highly represents toxic masculinity. “Sports have gotten way confused in terms of power, dominance, control, a lack of moral clarity” (48:51). One example of this can be seen in the recent Hockey Canada controversy over hiding sexual assaults done by their players. By Hockey Canada paying off victims and hiding these claims they have perpetuated male privilege in the sport and have not held men accountable for their actions. This also demonstrates how young men are afraid to come forward regarding issues in sports such as hazing, sexual assaults, locker room talk, and more. By continuing with the harmful culture in hockey we are perpetuating harmful masculinity.

When looking at pop culture there is the man that is quiet, reserved, and emotionless yet still in control, superheroes involved in the violence that demonstrates control and power, the thug who is predominantly men of colour, and then the man child. Grown-ups are one movie that a clip shows in the film. In this movie, the man-child is demonstrated by Marcus Higgins, played by David Spade. This figure depicts a man who sleeps with women of different ages, has children he is unaware of, consumes drugs, and has a carefree life. One way this affects young boys is that it reinforces the stereotype of men chasing women solely for sex. There is also a character named Jasmine who is a young 20-year-old, who is perpetuated as the typical “sexy girl”. She wears short shorts, and shirts that show cleavage, and is extremely sexualized by all the male characters. This sends the wrong message to young guys about how to treat women and objectify them as objects. If we continue perpetuating both women and men in these scenarios in movies it sends the wrong message to young vulnerable boys about how they treat women, how they look at them, how they treat their own bodies, and much more.

Lastly, the music industry demonstrates toxic masculinity. There is the same kind of hyperviolence that we see in television that we see in rap music and hip-hop culture (53:00). One song that is not rap or hip-hop but perpetuates toxic masculinity is Guns N’ Roses “It’s So Easy”. This song talks about how easy it is for a man to get a woman. Lyrics such as “Turn around B****, I got a use for you” and “when everyone’s trying to please me baby” demonstrate the mentality that girls chase men and women are just objects for men to find pleasure in.

Final Thoughts

I want to discuss one scene that really touched me. That was when Luis said, “I was really, really searching for a man I wanted to resemble” (46:48). I think this is incredibly important to consider and why we need to encourage men out of the toxic masculinity mentality as they are the role models for younger boys and men. We need men who are not afraid to express their emotions, challenge the characteristics of masculinity, and express feminity if they want to. This does not even need to be just fathers but other role models discussed in the film such as teachers, coaches, friends fathers, other male family members, brothers, and so much more.

References

Siebel – Newsome, Jennifer. (2015). The Mask You Live In. [Film]. The Representation Project. https://usask.kanopy.com/en/usask/video/141116

Before analyzing the film, we must examine subjectivity, which is essential in shaping sexuality. Sexuality may vary by upbringing, religion, and culture. One’s worldview largely shapes gender roles, sexual expression, and relationships. A conservative religious home may have a more traditional view of relationships than a liberal one. Second, subjectivity influences sexuality. Our values and beliefs significantly influence our sexuality. Traditionalists may exhibit their sexuality differently than open-minded people. They dress, talk, and interact this way. Third, subjectivity influences sexuality. Our values and beliefs shape how we interpret the sexual expression, relationships, and ourselves. Conservative religious parents may consider certain sexual acts sinful.

On the other hand, someone raised in a more accepting environment may find them perfectly acceptable. Finally, subjectivity can influence how we accept and reject various forms of sexual expression. We may reject or accept certain sexual expressions or behaviour based on our values and beliefs. For example, someone raised in a conservative religious household may reject premarital sex, whereas someone raised in a more liberal environment may accept it.

One of the main themes throughout this film is that not only are young people seeing intercourse play out in an incredibly heightened, far from the normal environment, but it is influencing the way they approach sex in their own lives. It creates unrealistic expectations for one discovering their sexuality and acting on it. Because sex and sexuality are often (especially in the past) uncomfortable to talk about, many young people would use pornography and online resources to help them learn about these topics. 

Another important theme is how pornography and sexuality are viewed as things that must occur and be discussed behind closed doors. Sara, for example, discusses how she noticed that boys in her school would watch pornography and openly discuss it, which made her uncomfortable (14:00).

Joel talks about how when he first watched pornography, he felt guilty and could not face his mother when he got home and that he felt that he had something wrong (15:20). These two scenarios shape our perceptions of sexuality, particularly as young people discover their ever-changing bodies and sexualities. It demonstrates that sexuality should be openly discussed rather than something to be ashamed of. I believe that it is also important to note how boys view pornography vs girls. Boys feel confident and empowered watching pornography in their groups at school, yet girls are told it is wrong for them to do it. Girls are far more policed when it comes to sex and their sexualities compared to boys. Also, in our module, posters of women saying stuff like “She may look clean but” regarding sexually transmitted diseases like women are the problem, and they are the ones that spread it when we now know both genders can quickly spread many sexually transmitted infections.

Also, because sexuality is something we shy away from when young adults enjoy watching non-heternormative sexual relationships, they feel as if they are not normal and feel emotions such as shame and embarrassment. This can be seen by Jack, who discusses how he came to explore his sexuality through pornography. He continually tried to convince himself that he was straight and expressed “shame” (9:40) when watching homosexual relations online. He discusses how when he was 12 was the first time he typed to google “naked men” (8:28) and explored how he did not realize he was gay and struggling with his sexuality. However, we have shaped our society to believe that heteronormativity is the only way to be, and when we venture outside those imaginary lines, we are abnormal.

We then see the other side, Sandra, who identifies as a lesbian in the film. She discusses how she came out at 13 and did not have a girlfriend until 17, and describes it as “something private, that no one else has to know about” (10:10). She also discusses how when she first kissed a girl, she was worried if she would like it or not and confused on where she should go from there. This perpetuates a narrative that we have to either be straight, lesbian, or gay when sexuality can mean many things now a day, such as a spiritual and emotional connection that has absolutely nothing to do with the gender of the person.

Liam discusses how porn made him eager to get out there and experience sex (10:35). Although, as we know, pornography perpetuates unrealistic expectations, which can be harmful and reinforce gender stereotypes and violence against women. While pornography is not all bad in my mind as it is a way for some people to express themselves in such a way as in a canvas for artists.

It is also necessary to note how when sexuality became a staple for clothing companies such as American Eagle, the ideas around sexuality changed. Larry Flynt explains this perfectly by saying, “pornography had made a huge difference culturally” (12:48). Before pornography was hidden. It was something that people believed was bad and gross, and dangerous. However, when it was culturally flipped to normalize sex and ones sexuality (predominantly heteronormative), it was not a subject that needed to be hidden behind closed doors.

Finally, these examples demonstrate that sexuality is more than just a biological fact and that there are other ideas to consider. Society conditions us to think sexuality is wrong, that questioning one’s sexual orientation is embarrassing, and that adhering to heteronormativity is the only acceptable orientation. Sexuality is a universal experience that every single person experiences.

References

Corlett, David. Crabbe Maree. (2013). Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography. [Film: Kanopy]. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529708196

Speakers: St Ives, K., Spiegler, M., Ventura, J., Sechrest, J., Hirsch, M., Hardwood, A., Falco, T., Hartley, N., Stagliano, J., Flynt, L.