Masculinity in the Media

Masculinity: "pertaining to or characteristic of man or men" (dictionary.com). With such a simple definition, masculinity seem to be simple, but it is quite the opposite. This definition does not tell us what kind of characteristics a man must posses or achieve in order to be masculine. Even though there is no set characteristic, the media has set its own standards on what a man must do to be masculine, and not only that, but have shown that men are not "real men" unless they are masculine. How can men and boys make their own set of standards for masculinity, and what are the negative effects of the standards set by the media?

When I typed in the word "masculine" on google, this was one of the first images to pop up on my screen. It is also a great representation of the other images that came up. Most of these men were clearly ripped,white with tanned skin, brown hair, good looking face, stern look, making fists, and wearing only bottoms. This shows men they need to not only be fit and tough, but show no emotion while doing so. This photo also comes with a caption, showing a masculine contest. This is telling men that not only should they look like this, but they need to compete to be the best. This was also a recurrence in the other pictures on google. 

To see if it was possible to get a body like the one shown above, I went to google to do a little research. I first typed in "how to get ripped", and got many suggestions on diet and exercise. The diet suggestions did not seem impossible, but the time and effort needed to exercise your way into fitness seemed a little out there. Most real men are in school, have jobs, a family, and many other activities. So how is it they are going to put in hours each day at the gym? Many people would say just get up earlier. But according to Dr. Oz, the extra hour of sleep you get is going to be much healthier for your body than that extra time at the gym. You can read the article here. At a certain point, exercising so much can actually start to undo what you have accomplished so far. In other words, working out so much is unhealthy for your body. This is shown here. So while men may want to look this way, they can actually do more harm to their body than good, just to achieve the masculine look. 

In media, men are expected to be successful at work, sex, and being tough. They are simple creatures that do not show emotion, but rather can fight their way out of anything. The only acceptable emotion is anger. Most masculine men can play sports well, have money, a "hot wife", and have a ripped body. But most of all, they are not feminine. This is not just shown to grown men, but starts at a very young age for boys. The meaning of masculinity and what it means to be a man can start as early as when you start watching movies. And what did many of us watch? Disney. And when Disney defines masculinity, we have characters like, Gaston, Li Shang, and Tarzan. 

In Beauty and the Beast, Gaston is shown as the manliest of men. He is quite masculine in his size and strength, his anger, the way women fall all over him, how he is mean to others, and is good at hunting. Boys are shown just what it means to be masculine. 

In Mulan, Li Shang is a character that also possesses masculinity. He is fit, tough, emotionless, telling others how to be a man, is good with fishing and the bow and arrow, can fight well, and is mean.

Tarzan is another masculine Disney man. As a boy, he can be playful, but he also knows how to take care of himself. He can climb trees, swing from vines, has a manly body, has a stern face, provides shelter to his mother, and wrestles with dangerous animals.

All of these Disney men show boys at a young age how to be masculine, and not in the best ways. While there is a moral to these stories on how to act, the appearance and athleticism of these men does not change.

Growing up, boys and men have men in the media like The Hulk, Barney Stinson, and Magic Mike. These men are much more grown up than those in Disney films, and their masculinity shows that.

The Hulk is an example of one of the manliest and masculine characters there is. As a man, he says he is always angry. This is an acceptable emotion for men. He is also fit, good looking, and women like him. When turning into the Hulk, he becomes so aggressive and angry that he cannot be stopped, he destroys anything around him. This is a superhero, someone that people look up to, yet is showing not very many levels other than anger and a hot body.

Barney Stinson is a man that degrades women, dresses well, is fit, tells men what it is to be a "bro", parties, and comes up with new ways to get with women. This shows men that it is ok to use women for sex, how to be a bro, and that dressing a certain way gets you what you want.

Magic Mike is a man that is good looking, ripped, good with his hands, can dance, and gets his way with women, fortune, and fame. This shows men that in order to get money and women, you need to look like this, have a manly skill, and sleep with many women.

So what are the negative effects of all of this media reference to what a man really is in terms of masculinity? To name a few, men will harm themselves in the gym, take steroids if they are not getting the body they desire in a healthy way, degrade women, lack emotion, and fight to show who is the best. These images lead to low self esteem, discrimination to those that choose another path, and violence. Men are taught from a young age that violence is ok through the media, and they take this into their everyday lives. They are exposed to tv, movies, video games, the internet, billboards, magazines, the news, and more. With all of this around them, it's no wonder they feel the pressures to conform to a certain set of standards of masculinity.
If you do not think this is a problem in terms of violence, look at headlines such as "Connecticut Shooting linked to Media Violence", "Media Violence Linked to Aggression", School Shooting Connected to Media Violence", and much more. Studies show that men are more likely to commit acts of violence than women, and many of these ideas come through violence in the media. For more information on violence in video games and how to deal with it for children, click here.
But men are not doomed. How can they ignore these images and make their own standards for masculinity? First, men and boys need to understand these images and characters are not real. The way these men are portrayed is not based on real life, and the stories they have are not possible. Once boys have a firm understanding, they can start to stray away from these behaviors. They also need to know it is ok show emotions of all kinds. This "boys don't cry" message is damaging. When emotions are held inside for so long, the top will pop off and that is when anger and rage come to the surface, and men do something they will regret later. We need to work together to give the message that men and emotions are a good thing. Then men will be less likely to explode. The standards men need to have for themselves are good emotional and physical health, a respect for all people, including women, and that being the best at everything simply isn't possible, so letting someone else have a "trophy" is acceptable. Once men realize that masculinity and masculinity in the media are two very different things, then they can start to incorporate their own standards of what it is to be a man.

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