Masculine Man
What it means to be a “man”
I always had trouble not fitting the mold of the “Masculine” stereotype we see in media. If you don’t know what that is, it is a stereotype which portrayed men as strong-armed, little to no emotion, physically appealing, and either as a loner or leader. I didn’t fall into the stereotype because I cried in front of others, showed emotion and empathy, was not super strong and wasn’t commanding. I felt as if I had to fit in this depiction of men because of social pressure to “man up” and it created an unhealthy mindset that I wasn’t good enough.
I believe many boys have faced similar negative and unhealthy mindsets because the portrayal of men in mainstream media has helped create a false representation of what it means to be a “real” man in our society.
These stereotypes are powerful because they affect our expectations of what men should and should not be. The stereotype is damaging because they narrow down what men can and can’t do. This stereotype tends to reinforce men’s social dominance over women and other men who aren’t masculine enough. Men are also portrayed more with work and how familial/personal issues are not as important. Also, men are discouraged from pursuing positive traits that are considered unmanly, which are showing any kind of emotion like fear, sadness, confusion, or despair. Finally, men aren’t encouraged to work collaboratively with others unless they have a commanding role, to love in a non-sexual way, and or to solve conflicts without violence.
In conclusion, I still believe that young men have been negatively affected by the false representation of what it means to be a “real” man in our society. The narrow masculine standards are almost suffocating and can lead to discrimination for people who deviate from them. But most importantly, it can prevent a person from living up to their full potential as a human being.
