Post #2 - Feminist Masculinity

I wanted to start my post with sharing a clip from the documentary "Tough Guise." It's an excellent documentary and I reccomend it to everyone. The believe the whole documentary is on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI

1.) Textbook term: Contradiction - refers to the tensions commonly present in one's communication, identity, relations with others and relations to the larger culture (DeFrancisco and Palczewski, pg 20). 

• What are some contradictory messages and expectations that males hear from our modern-day society? 
• Identify whether these occur on individual, interpersonal and/or societal level(s) of communication. Expand on this concept. 

Society focuses on how men are supposed to be strong, independent, and are told to not show emotion. In one of my classes last week, we were discussing an article by Malcolm R. Parks that identifies problems with ideologies in the communication discipline. One of the ideologies that Parks sees as problematic is the ideology of intimacy. He argues that in the communication field, intimacy in relationhips is what everyone strives for and is ideal. In order to reach this ideal, feminine speech is required. This is a huge contradiction for males in society because of the tensions of whether to become independent or intimate with self disclosure. This contradiction occurs at a societal level in the communication field, but it also effects individuals and interpersonal relationships.

2.)  Feminist politics expanded to include the recognition that patriarchy stripped men of certain rights, imposing on them a sexist masculine identity (hooks, pg 68). 

• Identify what you feel are some of the rights that patriarchy takes away from men.
• Are there privileges that men receive simply because they are born male?

After the bell hooks reading, I contracted a lot of empathy for males in society. I became saddened by the fact that males freedom of identity expression are taken from them. It's much more difficult for males to stand outside the box of expected masculinity, and if they do fall outside that narrow box, they are ridiculed. As a women, I can express myself in a variety of ways, feminine or masculine, without criticism.

My personal opinion is that males do have privileges in society. For example, males are paid more for the same work and men are more often taken seriously in professional situations, especially when running for president. There are more male leaders in government than female, and in many religious situations males are the only sex allowed to be in leadership positions. These are just a few of the many examples, but unfairly, I do believe that women also have certain privileges in society by simply being born female.

3.) hooks writes about the "men's liberation movement" and the men who identified themselves as victims of sexism and worked to liberate men (hooks, pg. 69). 

• What do men need to be liberated from? What would a men's liberation movement look like?
• What changes would we see? Have we already experienced some of these changes in our society? 
• What might an alternative masculinity look like?

There is much improvement needed in women's rights, but as well as mens. I personally believe that the central issue concerning males is the expectation of hyper-masculinity. Currently and in recent years, there have been changes surrounding this concept. The biggest example is that more men are becoming stay-at-home fathers, and it has become more excepted in society. This example is still in progress and is only a minute progression towards men's liberation. In a perfect world, masculinity wouldn't specifically be attributed to men. Men could be free to be as feminine as they chose, wearing what they want and acting how they want. They would be allowed to step out side of the small box of "manhood" and not be scrutinized by society. Additionally, in this alternative existence, the same concepts would be reflected in females. Either sex could dress, act and think feminine, masculine, or a mixture of both. Individuals would have 100% freedom to construct their identity how they choose.