Masculinity Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Femininism and Masculinity in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”

Words: 1971 Pages: 7 14201

For a considerable amount of the literature in English language, sex and gender are shown to be equitable with certain human traits. Strength is defined as a predominantly male trait while weakness is shown as the female one. Men are depicted as stable while women are shown as impulsive and unpredictable. Logic is shown as masculine while imagination is equated with femininity. It is often possible to identify a character as female or male by simply judging the behavior of […]

Things Fall Apart Masculinity

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Masculinity has a huge impact on the lives of the Ibo tribe. For instance, Ibo tribes in Africa highly support male masculinity and dominance. From a young age the individuals of the Ibo tribe are molded to understand the concept of male superiority. For anyone who digresses away from this idea, is thought of as weak by the community. In Things Fall Apart, the protagonist's life, Okonkwo, is derived from his obsession with masculinity and his fear of failure and […]

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

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Since more and more people keep moving to ‘the suburbs’ from the nineteen fifties onwards, it should not be surprising that these suburbs became more than just a place to live, they also became a prominent cultural topic. Suburban life, also called suburbia, is represented in two famous American novels, The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, and Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. “Suburbia” refers to the approach of life during which the individuals within the suburbs live. People are categorized […]

Challenging Toxic Masculinity in Schools and Society

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Kathleen Elliott is a professor at the University of Wisconsin. Using a lens influenced by a feminist cultural critique, the author situates concerns about gender, power, and inequality in current events in the American culture.The author argues that toxic masculinity supports and is supported by gendered patterns of power that perpetuate broad inequalities and that schools have an important role to play in challenging these inequalities. This relates to my project through the main issue of the article over toxic […]

Hegemonic Masculinity and how it Encourages Rape

Words: 1974 Pages: 7 4851

Abstract It is in this study that the link between the lust for power and rape is examined. The primary topic is toxic masculinity – specifically hegemonic masculinity – and how it encourages rape. It is hypothesized in this study that hegemonic masculinity stems from someone’s background and is present cross culturally, as the subordination of women is oftentimes normalized therefore allowing for the normalization and acceptance of rape. Societal pressures and the threat many men feel to their masculinity […]

Masculinities in Fight Club

Words: 2048 Pages: 7 9382

Throughout our history, the idea of violence, heteronormativity, homophobia, and misogyny are popular among the masculine race. In the movie, Fight Club, this is especially prevalent. The film's narrative is structured around a sacred ritual that reaffirms heterosexuality and masculinity at the expense of violence and homosexuality. Heteronormativity is a system that works to normalize behaviors and societal expectations that are tied to the presumption of heterosexuality and an adherence to a strict gender binary. A fixed idea of masculinity […]

How does Media Define Masculinity

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"Feminism can be defined as a “political project that explores the diverse ways that men and women are socially empowered or disempowered” with intentions to “deconstruct sexist oppression present in our everyday norms and experiences” (Ott and Mack, p. 194). A prevalent example of this is the #MeToo movement that originated in 2006 by Tarana Burke whose purpose was to support sexual assault survivors, particularly young women of color from low socioeconomic backgrounds (Ottesen). Today, the #MeToo movement has adapted […]

Masculinity and Femininity – Collins Theory

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Masculinity and femininity are social identities that are assigned to an individual. As individuals become socialized they develop a gender identity, they view themselves in relation to societal gender norms. This requires understanding what it means to be a “man” or a “woman” and whether they fit into the gender roles that society has placed upon them. Many factors play into how an individual constructs their identity and how they are perceived externally, such as class, race, and ethnicity. Collins […]

Role of Men and Women in Society

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Both men and women are constrained by the binary gender system. Men and women are labeled in society. Men are made to prove themselves in society. To show just how powerful they are and that they are expected to do more than women. Society label men as independent people. That they do not need help from other people especially women. In the binary system the masculine side is valued whereas the feminism side is undervalued. The hierarchy favores men over […]

Masculinity in Societies in Things Fall Apart

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Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold explore the theme of violent masculinity through the actions of major characters such as Okonkwo and the Vicario twins. Achebe’s Okonkwo displays his masculinity by obtaining titles and accomplishments and hiding his emotions. Marquez’s Vicario twins validate their masculinity by murdering the man responsible for dishonoring their sister. While both authors make violent masculinity a core component of their characterization of Okonkwo and the Vicario twins […]

The Effects of Hypermasculinity in Society

Words: 1333 Pages: 4 4555

When someone asks you to picture your perfect idea of a man, what do you see? Is he strong, is he tough, is he aggressive? All these traits are stereotypes of hypermasculinity. Hypermasculinity is, “[t]he inflation of stereotypic masculine attitudes and behaviors involving callous attitudes toward women, and the belief that violence is manly and danger is existing” (Corprew 106). The definition then continues by saying, “[t]he inflated valuation of status, self-reliance, aggressive activities, dominance over others, and the devaluation […]

The Society’s Obsession with Materialism in the Fight Club

Words: 523 Pages: 2 6240

Throughout Fight Club, we follow a story that is told by a narrator who battles his sense of self. By depending on different types of outlets and people around him, he starts to build his identity through them. The narrative crisis that evolves throughout this film is built on Corporate America and the amount of power it has to influence their consumers in everyday life. This is something the narrator is aware of, and takes full part in as he […]

Transforming Viewpoint of Masculinity

Words: 687 Pages: 2 4175

Alice Walker is the author of The Color Purple in which Celie, the main character of this novel, endures experiences that would be unbearable for most people. By the end of the novel, Celie was able to overcome those experiences by finding the physical and mental strength to survive. A theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work, which may be stated directly or indirectly (LiteraryDevices.net). It can also be an underlying message […]

Disidentification in the Contention of Black Masculinity Vs Homosexuality

Words: 1360 Pages: 5 4344

Munoz (1999) posited that disidentification is a mechanism used by marginalized groups in order to survive in a world into which they do not fit or necessarily desire to conform, and which punishes, ostracizes, derides, or even kills said “fringe members” of the dominant group. Through disidentification, those who are marginalized engage in a “performance” of sorts that allows for the development of an identity that does not necessarily require them, as a square peg, to fit into a round […]

Gender Representation in Cartoons

Words: 1787 Pages: 6 7740

Cartoons play an important role in the lives of children. According to Statistics, an average child spends more than 900 hours in school and nearly 1023 hours in front of a TV in a year. Over-viewing of cartoon de-sensitizes children, limits their social interaction skills and obstructs their brain development. This paper analyses how cartoons influence children in the formation of their identities. Other than issues like violent behavior, insensitivity, eye and brain related problems, it unknowingly creates gender – […]

Movie Review on Tough Guise

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In short, Tough Guise is an educational documentary geared towards students in college and high school to systematically examine the relationship between the use of imagery in pop culture and the social construction of masculine roles in the United States. Jackson Katz, who is known as a social critic and anti sexism activist argues, “that the ongoing epidemic of men’s violence in America is rooted in our inability as a society to move beyond outmoded ideas of manhood.”(Katz)Furthermore, Katz provides […]

The Hunger Games: Book Vs Movie

Words: 827 Pages: 3 5214

The Hunger Games is a movie series based around the female character Katniss. In the movie, people of the lower class districts are placed in a battle royale death match. Katniss can be viewed as a symbol of the strength and independence of a woman as opposed to the usual portrayal of a damsel in distress in media. She ends up being a part of The Hunger Games, a televised entertainment event. She deceives the viewers by having them believe […]

The Surrealist Feminist of Frida Kahlo’s “The Love Embrace of Universe”

Words: 1024 Pages: 3 4834

The name “Frida Kahlo” is arguably one of the most famous in art history. Intertwined with dramatic tales of illness, infertility, and infidelity, Frida Kahlo’s self-image, beginning with her artistic works and continuing as it morphs over time, is entirely comprised of constructs. Kahlo was notorious for the meticulous crafting of her personal and national identities as a means of communicating messages. Her 1949 painting, “The Love Embrace of the Universe,” is no exception to this tradition (Figure 1). Within […]

During Decades, Females have been Victims of Sexism

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"During decades, females have been victims of sexism. Although many reforms have been placed and many movements have been performed to help this situation, many countries still exercise indirect or direct sexism. Direct sexism, referred as “Sexism A” by Kate Smurthwaite in New Internationalist, is the most common type of female margination and is mostly exercised today in the countries of the Middle Eastern and African culture(2016). The ideals of this perception are based directly on demining a gender, in […]

Gender-Differentiated Leadership and National Security

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Abstract There is much debate on the means of gender equality in practice and how to achieve it in international relations, especially in regards to national security. Feminist scholars are the greatest advocates on this issue and strive for its global recognition. Feminist scholars propose that national security needs to be redefined on various levels of international security affairs. While other IR scholars, usually realist and their variants, contend that feminist scholars are unclear on their desired ends; because there […]

Women Missing in Leadership Roles

Words: 1354 Pages: 5 4808

"An analysis of leadership roles all in all facets of structure, do you hardly see any women in any positions of power? This is a major issues considering we live in such an advanced society and laws in place for this thing type of thing to not happen. Yet there still is a small amount of women represented in leadership. Throughout doing my research on the topic. My overall question would be, how is there a lack of women in […]

Gender Roles in Society

Words: 2337 Pages: 8 4294

Gender roles have been assigned to members of a society based on their biological sex. If a child is born with female sexual reproductive organ then they are conditioned to act feminine, while those born with male reproductive organs are conditioned to act masculine. But what does it mean act feminine or masculine? Well based on the gender roles constructed by society and culture femininity is soft, warm, and sensitive. Masculinity, on the other hand, is logical, strong and aggressive. […]

Gender Roles in Primary Education

Words: 2731 Pages: 9 5411

The topic for my research paper is concerned with the gender roles & gender differences amongst the two sexes*. (As to put much concentration on my paper I've narrowed the idea of gender roles amongst the two sexes, male & female as incorporating the other genders would have made this paper wider. So, to keep my work impact yet detailed, I'll be dealing just about the heterosexual boys & girls). My main area of interest for the paper is the […]

American Culture: the Stigma Around Male Cosmetic Usage

Words: 1403 Pages: 5 4050

While time has progressed, it has been established that over the course of history different cultures developed either binary or nonbinary societal constructs. The western society that is present today has just started to develop and accept a different construct of gender and while the evolution of people’s thoughts may develop at different times, the freedom of thought and speech that a country like America stands on allows for the beginning of the breakage from the binary way of life […]

Tea and Sympathy Essay

Words: 2020 Pages: 7 4420

Doherty Tea TEa TEA Vincente Minelli’s 1956 film, Tea and Sympathy is a social problem film which showed both the limitations and potential of the genre. It fits with other films of the genre in that it attacks a point of prejudice, gender role fulfillment, which is related to postwar perspectives. It also contains themes of Freudian psychology through the Oedipal relationship between Mrs. Reynolds/Laura and Tom. However, it also differs from social problem films made directly after the war […]

The Gates to Women’s Country

Words: 1224 Pages: 4 5000

"The Gates To Women's Country" by Sheri S. Tepper was assigned to me to read. Little did I know how many relevant topics were brought up in this book that pertain to today's society. This book, much like others, includes political and social issues. "The Gates To Women's Country" is set in the future, where women live inside the country wall and men in the garrisons outside the wall's gate. Stavia, the main character, has her story told through flashbacks […]

Milestones in the Study of Gender Development

Words: 2200 Pages: 7 4854

The late 1960s through the 1970s marked an important turning point in the field of gender research. For example, in 1978, the current editor of this journal and her co-authors published one of the first textbooks on the psychology of women and gender roles (Frieze et al., 1978). At that time, these areas were just emerging, and the textbook represented an early and important effort to survey and integrate the existing literature. A recurring theme throughout the text was the […]

Feminism and Sexism in a Changing World

Words: 2617 Pages: 9 5758

During the early 1960s, American society began to undergo substantial changes in public opinions and that would eventually lead to the artistic culture we enjoy today. Within this time period, Hollywood released some of their first family films; Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Due to world events occurring in the 60s like the Vietnam War, Hollywood wanted to create movies that illustrated the unification of families. These movies were intended for both children and parents to enjoy together. […]

Contesting Gender Stereotyping in my Amendment

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"In the opinion editorial, “My Amendment,” George Saunders brings attention to the controversial opinions regarding same sex marriage during the year of 2004, in which the ban on gay marriage was heavily disputed. He advocates as a person against same sex marriage in order to humorously mock those opposed to sex marriage’s entitled attitudes towards the matter. According to the David Stout article, “Bush Backs Ban in Constitution on Gay Marriage,” that was published in The New Yorker, in 2004, […]

Gender Stereotypes

Words: 1707 Pages: 6 4772

I chose the film Miss Congeniality, which is a fictional movie produced by Sandra Bullock herself and filmed in 2000. The film opens at a school where a boy is picking on another. We see Gracie Hart as a child who beats up the bully and tries to help the victim, who instead, criticizes her by saying he disliked her because he did not want a girl to help him, an example of the gender stereotype that men should always […]

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