In the current world, men tend to be losing their masculine power over women despite them being stereotyped as being more feminine than men. It is clear that the behavior, conduct, and roles played by men do not conform to what men are required to practice and behave for their masculinity (McCormack, " Anderson, 2014). Similarly, in the article by Kimmel, "'Bros before His': The Guy Code," there is the examination of the pressure that men receive and the evenness of the stereotype for them to be masculine to the society. Kimmel discusses the works and activities of men that are focused on making them acceptable to the entire society. This paper seeks to explore if the gender stereotypes directed on men and women are possibilities of limitations to their ability to play their roles in society. Although men are stereotyped as to have more masculine than women, the reality is that men are not able to demonstrate their masculinity or manhood to the society because of the associated difficulties and challenges.
Men’s stereotype as masculine
Men or males have had similar duties throughout history (Plummer, 2016). Men were required to engage in specific careers, such as engineering, drivers, and mechanics among others. Besides, men were expected to offer security to women and children in their families. In historical times, boys were supposed to remain close to their male parents and relatives (McCormack, " Anderson, 2014). This enabled them to learn the roles necessary for men. Men are supposed to be the dominant sex, while women need to be protected. Boys are expected to take part in sports and other games and not remaining at home with their mothers and sisters for them to fulfill their expectations. When boys and girls were growing up, they were traditionally shown their gender roles and were expected to play them accordingly (Davis, " Kimmel, 2011).
Changes in the stereotype
In the current world, men’s roles are critically changing as men continue leaving women to be responsible for the majority of the roles. Similarly, Kimmel talks about how men are struggling for their manhood and how they engage in battle for their retention of tough and rough masculine image (Fields et al., 2015). Besides, men are increasingly taking female careers such as child carers and fashion-based career. Such responsibilities in the current world equally with Kimmel's arguments are judged by other males. Because of the freedom that has been granted to women, such as a right to vote, gender roles are also confusing because women identify to be having rights to engage in roles that were meant for men (Davis, " Kimmel, 2011). In the present world, young boys stay close to their mothers and female members of their families, therefore adopting the behavior of women.
Kimmel narrates about the story of a boy who was said to have been with his mother most of the times. She proves that men are easily influenced by women for being close to them and because of not playing their roles accordingly or because of not proving their masculinity (Plummer, 2016). For men being stereotyped as having more masculine than men, this means that they are supposed to prove it, but based on the current world, it is clear that the gender stereotype limits men from behaving the way they would wish to given the chance of acting according to personal interests and not based on the stereotype.
Besides, the way gay people dress and behave with no interest in the roles played by men is a clear indicator that male stereotype is confirmed in the contemporary world. Moreover, men show no interest in music or art and have no emotions (Kimmel, 2008). It is also possible to find many men listening to what women are saying and express some interest, as it has been identified by Kimmel and also happening in the current world. Similarly, with the case of the three-year-old boy as identified by Kimmel to have been crying, it is easy to find men crying over small issues. The boy in Kimmel’s essay was crying because of some chemical from a barber shop, but this was not something worth his cry if he was hard enough like a man is expected to be (Fields et al., 2015). Having been close to the mother or other females, this influenced the boy’s personality traits.
The level of love that women show to their sons also influences how males behave from their childhood to their adulthood (McCormack, " Anderson, 2014). Women do not like seeing their sons in pain, therefore trying hard to calm them down something which makes men to be identified as weak and not able to demonstrate their masculinity. This practice makes men not to behave like real men but to copy what women are doing despite their manhood.
In the article, Kimmel uses the term ‘homophobia’ meaning that men develop fear over other men (Kimmel, 2008). In the present world, the issue of men fearing other men is identified as a failure. However, being rejected by other men because of behavior is highly witnesses in today’s world because men are supposed to have no emotions and to be tough, but they are practicing the opposite. Instead of protecting women, men in the present world focus on raping them and battling them badly (Davis, " Kimmel, 2011). Despite it being part of “Guy Code” as identified by Kimmel, it is necessary for men to focus on proving their manhood and masculinity through playing the roles necessary for men. It would be necessary for men to show that they have dominance and power for them to conform to their masculine features.
Conclusion
In the present society is reaffirming the gender norms of men have lost their masculinity. Despite being required to stand firm and not to cry, it is easily possible to find men behaving like women, being emotional, crying, and shying away. Besides, gender-role identity needs to be based on the physical appearance of men, but this is not the case in the present world since males are easily influenced by women who work on proving them wrong by engaging even in activities that were meant for men, such as soldiers, mechanics, engineers, and others. In the current world, women hold many jobs, while men continue leaving or losing their jobs. There is a great change in men and women roles therefore, the affirmation of the gender norms that men are influenced by women and have lost their masculinity. Consequently, men are just left struggling with what masculinity means in their lives since they are no long the sole breadwinners in their families.
Work Cited
Davis, T., " Kimmel, M. S. (2011). Mapping guyland in college. In Masculinities in Higher Education (pp. 19-31). London: Routledge.
Fields, E. L., Bogart, L. M., Smith, K. C., Malebranche, D. J., Ellen, J., " Schuster, M. A. (2015). “I always felt I had to prove my manhood”: Homosexuality, masculinity, gender role strain, and HIV risk among young Black men who have sex with men. American journal of public health, 105(1), 122-131.
Kimmel, M. (2008). 'Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code. Guyland: the perilous world where boys become men, 44-69.
McCormack, M., " Anderson, E. (2014). The influence of declining homophobia on men’s gender in the United States: An argument for the study of homohysteria. Sex Roles, 71(3-4), 109-120.
Plummer, D. (2016). One of the boys: Masculinity, homophobia, and modern manhood. London: Routledge.
