Blog Prompt for 2-24-2010
In Pink Think, you have read about the socialization process for girls and boys (yes, binaries!) in the mid-twentieth century. Please consider the media representations back then that we consider ridiculous today and lay them against the images and comments in the film “Tough Guise” from last week’s class. Remember to use concrete in your comments and to reference specific passages from Pink Think and from “Tough Guise.” If you were not in class, the film “Tough Guise” is available in the JC library.
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My daughter is a photographer and recently had the opportunity to photograph models in a professional studio. She had lights, diffusers, and all manner of paraphernalia to enable her to get a “good shot”. The models were shot against a white background on a white rug and when Brenna got home to work on the images digitally, she frequently raised the contrast levels to get the models to really stand out. Much like the models against their white backgrounds, Tough Guise and Pink Think each detail the extreme contrasting behaviors required of men and women to increase their standout”ability”.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1950s and 1960s when the majority of women were striving to be “gentle, timid and cuddlesome” (Pink Think, pg. 113), men were able to provide contrast without working terribly hard. If they were gainfully employed, knew how to open a door, light a cigarette, and pay for dinner, they were sufficiently manly. However, since the 1960s, the majority of women have increasingly gained financial and societal power, and are less willing to be “simpering idiots” (Pink Think, pg. 113). Therefore men are forced to become more and more “masculine” to avoid a blurring of the lines. As pointed out in Tough Guise, the ideal of masculinity has only gotten bigger, tougher, and more muscular.
The increasing anger and violence against women, the increasing stereotypical and sexist behavior in popular culture is a backlash to changing expectations. I completely agree with the narrator of Tough Guise in his assertion that already marginalized men (minorities, uneducated, low-socioeconomic) as well as men who are used to their superior position in society (white, educated, upper-socioeconomic) are threatened by these changes. The ground under their feet is shifting and their response to these threats is to fight back. As a stay-at-home mom, I can understand their feelings. When your self-definition only exists externally as a contrast to others (feminine-masculine, mom-dependent daughters) and is not internally defined and supported, the changing definition of your opposite leaves you unmoored and uncertain of your value.
As my children have become increasingly independent and assertive I have struggled with feelings of obsolescence. Eventually, after much internal struggle, I have found new foundations for my self-image and self-esteem. We have to respect the reality of their fear and confusion. As the narrator of Tough Guise said, we can’t just take away the idea of masculinity that men are expected to project, we have to give them a new vision of masculinity and self-worth.
Media depiction of what is masculine and feminine has evolved to meet the time and social standards of today. Just like now the 50’s also conditioned boy, in a subtle way, on what desired masculinity was. For girls between the 50’s and present, it only worsened, playing on their fears of social acceptance through their bodies and image. Peril and “Tough Guise” bring to light how the media has created the behaviors of today’s youth culture.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to dating, “Joyce Jackson’s Guide to Dating” (Peril) says that girls “don’t ask boys out, its against nature”, and states: “Let him be the aggressor, that’s the way its supposed to be, he’s listening to instinct.” “Tough Guise”, stated that a “real” man is tough and strong. That by having a girl, according to Joyce, asking a boy out would be a threat to his dominant masculinity as stated in “T.G.” In today’s media world, a girl can be seen in many commercials as the one to initiate the dating question. Does that make her the aggressor; one could see this as her just “getting the ball rolling,” even if the end result is a turn down, no side is threatening the other. Most of these scenario commercials are for party products/situations (alcohol, mini toothbrush, etc.) where the girl see a guy she like and “goes for it” and succeeds.
According to Heal’s “Teen-age Manual” (Peril), a “boy is expected to call for a girl at her house, expects your cooperation, …it is your [girl] soul duty to be at the door when he rings.” In “T.G.”, men/boys play the male role by having power and control. Combining Peril and T.G., the boy has power and control over the girl. She expects him to call, he expects her cooperation, and the girl’s soul duty is to be there when he calls. Today’s girl/boy aren’t depicted in such a manor. For instance, comparing prom night pick-ups commercials from the 50’s to 2002. The 50’s (black and white commercial), the boy comes to the door and speak politely to the parents then escorts his date to the car. In a 2002 commercial, it shows the front door of a house, a constant blaring honking from the boys car as he screams “LETS GO!!” This depiction showed the changes in how the “ideal” boyfriend behaves himself in such a situation. Not necessarily violent behavior but change in what is considered appropriate behavior in how prom night pick-ups are depicted. No longer does the boy have to make a good impression on the girls parents, since girls too, feel she doesn’t need her parent’s approval of her boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteBody image also forces binary expectations on boys and girls. For boys, the ideal body image is large and muscular. The toys boys play with reinforce this ideal body shape like the action figure G.I. Joe (whose body and muscles tripled in size in a 20+year period). At the time when this toy came out, it was meant to encourage young boys to be adventurous and active with the outside world. The idea that if a young/adolescent boy’s physic is not this “norm”, then he could be the “victim” of other boys’ ridicule, taunts, etc. Today’s commercials depict hostile like toys such a “Nerf” triple ammo guns that can be used in “sneak attacks” against other boys in order to gain victory.
ReplyDeleteIn the 50’s, Fatty Fiction came into play on adolescent girls fear of becoming fat. Being fat did not follow the rules of femininity thus she does not fit in and faces the consequences for it in the social sphere. Comments from Teen-Age Glamour (1955) quoted “If you’re a fatty, you aren’t a beau-catcher.” Statements like these in popular teen magazines only fueled girls fears of loosing femininity, which could damage their futures. Today’s media doesn’t depict stories of Fatty Fiction for fear of discrimination suits but other forms of media still focus on a girls weight as a center for acceptance. Every commercial seen for feminine products (mascara, perfume, feminine hygiene) all show a slim, ultra sexy, happy figure whose “got it all.” Because of that image anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders have sky rocketed since the fashion worlds introduction of “Twiggy”, the first ultra thin model that became the image of beauty.
By having the media play off the fears, stereotypes, socially acceptable masculine and feminine ideals, young girls and boys are socialized into trying to reach a goal that most of the population cannot achieve in their lifetime. Not everyone in the general male population can be “Rambo” or “Terminator” without sacrificing themselves physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The general population of women cannot fit into a size “00” with out causing serious harm or death in an attempt to reach that socially acceptable figure. The media has tapped into these factors that affect the youth population and exploit them with dangerous results to the youth population.
ReplyDeleteThe film “Tough Guise” emphasized the role that the media plays in creating the tough, strong, image of masculinity. In the media being a “real man” goes hand-in-hand with violence. According to “Tough Guise”, violence has been gendered masculine, so when a woman commits an act of violence, it automatically becomes visible and well publicized. A good example of this was when Lorena Bobbit severed her husband’s penis in 1993. On the other hand the violence commit by the dominant male group has become invisible.
ReplyDeleteOver time the image of masculinity that is portrayed by the media has led to a shift in the image of the male body. “Real men” become more muscular, bigger, stronger and more violent. In “Tough Guise”, the narrator compared the change in size of the famous action figure character, G.I. Joe’s biceps over a period of time. Over time the measurement drastically increase to today’s unrealistic size. Even the weapons of famous male characters in classic film roles have become greater. From a small, non intimidating pistol to Rambo’s enormous machine guns.
“Pink Think” also mentioned the G.I. Joe action figures that assumed “all poses necessary for rugged military action: charging, running, firing”. (pg. 137) These were the “perfect role models” for little boys and it would help train boys for their future military service. According to “Pink Think” in 1951it was very important for boys to grow up powerful and very masculine. On page 136, the author mentions the Nabisco Shredded Wheat advertisement that stated: “Give him a breakfast that’s a good honest meal not “sissy” food! ...it’s America’s great body-building breakfast!” This shows that the strong, large, He-man image that the media portrays today is not a new idea, but it is a stereotype that has been passed along over many generations.
In the movie "Tough Guise," many examples were given about how males see themselves and how the roles they play effect society. What I found interesting, was that the movie depicted and showed evidence they majority of violent crimes (around 90%) were committed by males. Many males create violence against other males, perhaps to be considered the alpha male. It is amazing to think that males feel like they need to be violent to be considered masculine.
ReplyDeleteTeen violence was another topic that was covered in the movie. Relationships amonngst teenagers are becoming increasingly more violent. The movie talked about how the media never says things like "2 males shot 2 other males." But if females created the crime they would be considered "Bad Girls," and would talk about what happened to turn these "good girls" to go "bad."
The media has always portrayed males to be masculine. To achieve this, the media displays men as physically strong, muscular and athletic. Females are typically shown to be dainty, petite and small. In Pink Think, on page 116, it talks about how females can attract a male. My favorite rule plays into these sterotpypes. The book states "Don't show too much independence, it can be irritating but dependence can be used to cater to a mans ego." This is interesting because with these older stereotypes, it still depicts that women need to be labeled as the ones who need to be taken care of by the male figure. The stereotypes affected a males self image just as well as a women's. By the movie "Tough Guise," it shows how these stereptypes lead to an increasingly violent and confused male population.
Tough Guise was a very eye-opening documentary for me because even though I knew that men were responsible for the majority of crime in the U.S., I never realized how slight attention is given to this fact. When women commit crimes, the media blows it up because it is not “natural” for women to be violent. In Pink Think, Peril emphasizes how the media influenced these stereotypes throughout history. Peril explains that men have been constantly advised to act more “masculine” and “aggressive”. The examples of the army action figures are one way that children were influenced at a young age to want to be muscular, aggressive, and soldiers, which were all associated with masculinity. (Peril 137) Like Tough Guise, Peril reminds us that society in general thinks it is ok for men to play the dominant role in relationships. In the section on dating tips, Peril quotes dating tips for men which mention everything from going as far as possible on a first date with a woman to paying for everything on a date from door to door. (Peril 154-157)
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, Peril’s examples seem like just a blast for the past and not realistic in everyday life today. However Tough Guise does an excellent job of reminding us how present stereotyping and binaries are today. Men are still widely expected to play the dominant role in relationships and in everyday life. As Tough Guise showed us, men constantly have to prove their masculinity and they have to find ways to stand out and prove their “manliness”. This becomes ever more present in minorities as Tough Guise explained. Peril also shows that this was evident in the mid-twentieth century because women wanted to marry “manly-men”. This still very much exists today, as men have to go out of their way to prove their masculinity not only to other men but also to women. This constant theme in our society has not ended even though we consider so many stereotypical traditions of the past as blasphemous. Tough Guise really brought to our attention the fact that forcing the word masculinity into the lives of boys and men results in a more dangerous world for all of us. As long as society continues to attribute violence, aggression, and power to masculinity, women and men will continue to be victims to men who seek to assert their “manliness” over others.
Both Pink Think and Tough Guise remind us that we must create change now in the lives of all men as well as women who still believe in these binaries. If we can change the way we raise young boys and girls differently without forcing gender roles upon them, then we can hope to change the vicious cycle of stereotyping and binaries. If we can recognize that violence should not be attributed to masculinity or femininity, perhaps we can reduce the number of male and female victims every year.
-Nadia Quiroga
The term single once used to mean un-married, now that same term relates to someone who is alone, lacking a partner and sometimes even refers to celibacy. I am a single girl and most days look at that as a good thing. I do not feel alone, depressed or any of the negative terms linked to the word single. I find it so discouraging when young women date someone just to have a boyfriend or girlfriend; not because they cannot live without that person or they have huge physical and emotional chemistry, but because they do not know how to be “alone”. The book by Helen Gurley Brown Sex and the Single Girl “torpedoed the myth that a girl must be married to enjoy a satisfying life” (Peril, 109) how I think of the term satisfying not in sexual terms but in emotional ones. There is such a negative outlook on single girls that Ads and books from around the country were dedicated to advising women on how to land a husband. In the 1970’s, and probably still now, there was an idea that “single women led empty lives” (Peril, 109). I find that phrase so disheartening because single women can live extremely full lives, they are able to be a tad selfish; travel to far off countries, learn another language, learn about themselves, spend hours doing whatever they are passionate about. However, the term single is being mocked at, and women are going to ridiculous measures, like “talking to a freaking piece of adhesive tape stuck on a mirror”, in order to live a satisfying and full life. (Peril 113). While we have these absurd expectations for women and we also have them for men. In the film “Tough Guise” men are being taught that being tough and aggressive and independent are important to becoming a “real man”. Women are taught to be sensitive and gentle, letting the man dominate the relationship; therefore, men it is their right to dominate. When more women begin learning to appreciate themselves as smart beautiful women single or married, the more men will try to boost their masculine levels in order to stay “one up”. As a result an increased amount of violence towards women will surface and the stereotypes of a masculine man will only get more set in stone.
ReplyDeleteDuring socialization, we learn the language of the culture we are born into as well as the roles we are to play in life. Socialization is a learning process that begins shortly after birth. Early childhood is the period of the most intense and the most crucial socialization.
ReplyDeleteWhile continuing to read Think Pink we continue to see binaries that are put onto children as they grow. “Proper training in early childhood was the key to success in later life”. This means that if a mother wants her daughter to be successful in marrying a good man and raising children of her own they must start molding them from their childhood. Even when girls were at a young age their mothers would be asked “is your little girl a good wife?” I thought the quote on page 115 about the roles you put first in life was interesting because I feel like it’s such a norm that women base their relationships on as well. I feel like making it seem like being a wife and raising a family is the only important things in life to little girls gives them a huge mis interpretation on life.
While girls were expected to be sweet and innocent, that’s not what’s expected of boys. Boys are expected to be tough and stand their own ground as we saw in the movie “Tough Guise”. Tough Guise brings to our attention the common ground between violence in the media and what society thinks the male role should be like. Throughout the movie we are continually remind of how guys have to act in order to keep their respect in society. As boys grow in to teenagers and then men they realize that if they don’t want to be called a “sissy” or a “pussy” then they need to act like they are tough and hard so they can portray the image of what a male should be based on what society tells us.
I thought the statistics that were shown and talked about in the movie were scary but yet at the same time you can see how they’re accurate. The statistics about men being the violent ones -- 85% of murders are by men; 95% domestic violence is by men; 99% of rapes in prison are by men. We hear about violent crimes and hate crimes all the time, but until it’s laid out point blank like it is above you really don’t realize how the statistics measure up. I think it’s really sad that most abused boys tend to grow up to take on that role, because it’s a never ending circle that will continue to happen.
M. Forbes
ReplyDeleteThe media is one the strongest influences today on gender binaries and peoples perception of what is feminine and what is masculine. This is no phenomenon, media representations of gender and sex have been influences cultural perception since for decades. The advertisements and magazine and book exerts in Peril's book "Pink Think" are a great example of how society view woman's roles around the 1950's. The movie "Tough Guise" also describes and gives evidence to discuss men's behavior and characteristics today and how the past and the media has constructed them. The idea of peril and evidence in Tough Guise do match up, and show a connection between male and female representation and expectation in today's culture.
Peril gives many examples of how girls are brought up to be "nice" and be a good wife for her husband. She even gives examples of how single women who are living alone and not married past the age of thirty are looked upon very sour and critically from their families and communities. The entire chapter gives examples of all the ways women must satisfy and attract a man. Peril even quotes text calling women,"the weaker sex" (p.133).
This generalization from 1954 summarizes the opinions and view of the society in the 1950's and how the media was representing women and what it means to be feminine. In Tough Guise, the narrator gives examples of how men are constructed by the media to be "tough" and "protectors" of women, and how violence and manhood have over time become inseparable. This connection and construction of "violent masculinity" was the most interesting dimension of the film, and it is puzzling to me how male and female roles became so binary. Women, men: nice and sweet, strong and protectors. Throughout Peril's evidence of 1950's media culture representing men, Manhood and masculinity is always constructed to be tough and strong. The man from the popular "mystery date" game resembles to me Marlin Brando in his younger years, who plays a violent "women beater" in "A street car named desire".
The connection between masculinity and violence is undeniably apparent in today's cultures and society, and is the result of building social constraints over the past several decades. It is very important to look back and see where their constructed ideas have come from and what progression there has been made in media representations today, but it is even more important now to construct strategies for breaking those binaries of gender roles for the future.
“Real manhood was no job for ‘mollycoddles and softies’ (Peril, 142).” The socialization of masculinity and femininity during the mid twentieth century was quite interesting especially in how certain aspects of dress, interests, and behavior are associated with being a real man or a real woman. The guidebooks for women who are single who must follow “the tenets of true womanhood: purity, piety, submissiveness, and domesticity (105).” A young woman must always be on the lookout for a man willing to marry or she may be considered a social delinquent. These guidebooks have this strange attitude towards women who are single and giving them rules to abide by while single. Today it is a more open decision on what women can be and do but there is still this expectation of marriage and being a mother. Cosmopolitan magazine (although not the best comparison) still shapes single women in an interesting way. I remember one article explained cities where men were in large numbers and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to either move there or take a trip. It is essentially a modern guide to teach women how to snag that man. It also teaches safe sex, female health, and I guess some form of female empowerment. “Women have a way of admiring the man they fear—fear because of his greatness (135).” Men were taught that masculinity and control was based in strength and intimidation. When someone is telling you sex makes you “grow tall and strong and making you want to do things; it gives you courage…don’t spoil it (142).” The subject of sex I found the most interesting. Boys were expected to wait during the mid twentieth century or at least wait until they have found their mate but today boys are expected to “seal the deal.” Sex is seen as this expectation of manhood. Girls are still meant to wait so as not to be viewed as having no virtue. “Tough Guise” explained masculinity that is portrayed in the media as a mask to disguise vulnerability put on as a survival mechanism to survive through whatever peer culture. Masculinity during the twentieth century and today I feel don’t really seem to differ. The approach may have been a bit more subtle but there was still this notion of strength both mental and physical and this need to instill fear or intimidation. Fear is something women admire and it is a way of gaining respect. Sports seem to be at the center of being masculine due to size and strength. Today it seems more severe and extreme but I feel there are many similarities in how boys and girls have been socialized now and then only the media form has changed.
ReplyDeleteJulie Allstrom's Post:
ReplyDeleteI reviewed the notes I made while watching Tough Guise and saw what may be the most important statement of the film. The narrator Jackson Katz says, “Images don’t happen by accident; someone makes them happen.” The film’s images prove its thesis that in our culture men should be tough, strong and independent. We accept violent masculinity as a cultural norm; men use dominance, power and control as acceptable behaviors.
The depictions and performance of those behaviors have escalated since the mid-20th century. For example, in Peril’s Chapter 5, she mentions boys’ preparation for future military service by playing with toy guns and action figures and wearing pajamas printed with military themes. We saw the grotesque gradual outsizing of guns and action figures in Tough Guise, but we also saw what did not exist in 1950 – the interactivity of violent video games and the sexualization of violence in contemporary horror movies.
Sexuality is not linked to violence in the media representations Peril shows us. In Chapter 4, she presents the cultural obsession with “catching a man” and not being an “old maid” that is reflected everywhere in the mid-20th century. The recommended strategies for women’s behavior range from two extremes – being a “shameless hussy” (my grandmother’s favorite term for the Jayne Mansfield types) to acting like a wide-eyed, innocent child. What strikes me about all of these roles is the cultural pressure to be inauthentic, to pretend to be someone you are not.
Pretending is also a theme of Tough Guise. Men’s pretenses about being rugged individuals, people who are invulnerable, are linked to hidden depression, binge drinking and drug use, and risky behaviors such as reckless driving. I must say these seem tame in comparison to the topics of dinner dates, drinks and planned sexual encounters that Peril shows from the old advice books. But perhaps that is what started us on the road we now travel. Jackson Katz said, “The dominant group escapes examination; we need to make it visible.” I agree. We need to make visible these unexamined behaviors and roles and their consequences in preventing honest, compassionate human relationships.
Sex. Apparently, men want it all the time and women (well married women) should be ready for it all the time. As "Tough Guise" says, men have a false infamy that they are thinking about sex all the time. Because of this, married men are not faithful to their wife. However, in Pink Think there is a quote from Brown's book, "Sex and the Single Girl", that says that the wife should expect her husband to be disloyal. "Married men, Brown mentioned, were perfect partners for the no-strings sexuality she advocated, even though she herself was, in fact, married-which makes me wonder if she and her husband, like one of the couples she described in a later chapter, had 'an understanding that [the husband] my frisk around a bit'"(109). Now the next sentence after this excerpt does say that this may cause problems, but it is still expected to happen. I am so glad that we think otherwise nowadays. Men do not always think about sex. Having many guy friends who are masculine, it is obvious that this is not the case. There are many a time where the subject never comes up, in fact it usually never comes up. I also know that one of my friends has been in heterosexual relationship throughout high school and he is still just as committed and faithful to his partner as they were 3 or 4 years ago. In fact, even the thought of cheating on his girlfriend makes him cringe. If men really did think about sex all the time and slept around like misconception was, and may still be, I do not believe that men would be able to have any long term relationship with anyone.
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