Saturday, September 21, 2013

"What Does Manhood Mean in 2013?"

"What’s striking isn’t the lack of consensus on what defines masculinity now, but the utter confusion about how to go about doing so. That’s because America is finally getting around to having the conversation about what it means to be a man that, decades ago, feminism forced us to have about womanhood. Women still face social consequences when they don’t conform neatly to gender norms, but many of even the most ideologically progressive men are just now starting to talk about how to break with masculine stereotypes and still hang onto a sense of gender identity. Goldberg and Rosin, in using traditional definitions of manhood (the simple, stoic breadwinner), declare him dead, or at least less marketable to advertisers. Men’s magazines, which now peddle facial moisturizers but still often shy away from heartfelt confessionals, have spotted how hard it is for men to balance both embracing and rethinking masculine stereotypes — and they’ve made some attempts to address it, but mostly ended up documenting the confusion."

The Cut

For 'two different looks' click more



10 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Same as pre-2013, so far as I can see.

JAL said...

Truth be known, ST, one testicle will do.

(Old RN)

bagoh20 said...

I really have no problem with this. I'm a man, I'll do whatever I want. I'll build a house, bust a head, change a diaper, cry when my heart is touched, and I couldn't care less if anybody thinks it's manly, old fashioned, chauvinistic or not. I don't have a gender - I have a character. I build it, respect it, and follow it. I don't care if society defines it as female or male, but I never met anyone who I confused on the matter. They know exactly what it's packing.

Valentine Smith said...

I've never used poison. I don't admire poison. I don't talk poison, I don't suggest poison, I don't think poison.

I am a man.

And three testicles are better.

edutcher said...

What Shout said.

You say what you mean and mean what you say.

And you stand by it.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Women still face social consequences when they don’t conform neatly to gender norms,

That's a bullshit statement.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

but many of even the most ideologically progressive men are just now starting to talk about how to break with masculine stereotypes and still hang onto a sense of gender identity.

What a load of crap. Progressive men are metro-sexual dorks. Next.

Give me a real man - the guys on this site.

YoungHegelian said...

One unexpected problem with the confusion over "manhood" is that companies have problems advertising to men. As Bill Maher so quaintly said about his advertisers "They have absolutely no idea what works for men other than tits & football".

It also why also-ran networks like the Cartoon Network which faithfully draws 18-35 year old male eyes each night to its Adult Swim offerings can charge top dollar for commercial time.

deborah said...

April, there are metro-sexual conservative men in abundance. Every hetero man and hetero woman have different levels of the ideal of masculinity and femininity. Or even what is masculine or feminine, for that matter.

ricpic said...

All those men who let the women get on top in every TV or movie sex scene I've seen in the last 25 years (at least), all those guys are a disgrace.