Crisis of Manhood

What really makes a man, a man? What factors determine a man? Is it how their raised? What culture they were brought up in? What is a model of a real man? Today I want to share with you the ideals of masculinity. This topic is intended for all male teenagers, young adults, and adults.
How do we define Masculinity? According to Dictionary.com, “having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, such as strength or boldness.” That’s not all the qualities associated with masculinity. There is one person in particular who has been recognized in Men’s Studies, Raewyn Connell, a transsexual woman professor at the University of Sydney in Australia. She talks about hegemonic masculinity. I need to research more about this because there are a lot more sources that talk about hegemonic masculinity. In an interview with Dr. Raewyn Connell she says, “Masculinities are not the same as men. To speak of masculinities is to speak about gender relations. Masculinities concern the position of men in a gender order. They can be defined as the patterns of practice by which people (both men and women, though predominantly men) engage that position. In pop psychology, and a lot of popular belief, masculinity is set in concrete, fixed by the genes or by God, and impossible for women to influence.” Although she is coming from Australia she reflects over men around the world. She mentioned “pop psychology”. The pop psychology is influenced by contemporary media today. I have another source that represents how men’s appearance is influenced by consumerism. Men’s appearance now is something that concerns men. What you where determine whether your gay or straight. In all honesty I do not know what area to talk about with masculinity. I am trying to break it down to the one that everyone can connect with the most. When people talk about masculinity they’re not only talking about one single factor involved like looks, but also how men behave and how they develop odd friendships. The history of manhood is important because it talks about how men developed masculinity and how it changed over the years. This is important because in my country men are the main supporters in the family. I can probably talk about the masculinity differences between cultures in America and cultures in Asia. This would be very interesting to talk about because of the social norms between the two cultures which would incorporate psychology into the paper. If I can do that then my paper would add logos and actually
“inform” people about the differences. The problem with this though is that I might have a biased opinion, and I may want to give my own personal opinions. That would not be very good for an informative paper.
I chose this as my audience because these people are all male, and they will become male adults. Male adults may have a sense of identity; however, young men are still trying to find their identities. Young men and teenagers are still trying to find their way in life, while most adults are already experienced with age.

Sources:

Academic Journal:
Randall, Don. "Charismatic Masculinity in David Malouf's Fiction." Australian Literary Studies RICCIARDELLI, ROSEMARY.
"Masculinity, Consumerism, and Appearance: A Look at Men's Hair." Canadian Review of Sociology 48.2 (2011): 181-201. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.
.25.1 (2010): 71-81. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.
Wedgwood, Nikki. "Connell's theory of masculinity - its origins and influences on the study of gender." Journal of Gender Studies 18.4 (2009): 329-339. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.
Works Cited.Neville, Patricia. "Side-splitting masculinity: comedy, Mr Bean and the representation of masculinities in contemporary society." Journal of Gender Studies 18.3 (2009): 231-243. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.

Books:
R.W Connell Masculinities
The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private by: Susan Bordo
Manhood in America: A Cultural History By: Michael S. Kimmel