Masculine and Media

Men are always linked to violence in some way. All boy's are raised that way. Men aren't wimpy, scared, or emotional, they're confident, strong, and will do anything to protect themselves. One way to show that is through sports. Boys are told to be tough and just push through the pain and to win at all costs. They're sometimes told to hurt other players on purpose. Men are told not to show emotion. And if they do that means they're weak. So men put on this "tough guise", meaning to act tough and confident, so others wont bother you. A good example of tough guise used in everyday life is jocks, or most jocks. They act all tough and strong, yet behind the scene's they're really insecure about themselves. 


The media has made it hard for men to come out of their shells. In a lot of movies, books, and TV shows the men are always muscular, tough, confident, and show no fear. It makes it hard for men to be who they are. If men do not have this "tough guise" then they are considered weak, sissy, or a fag. You can see in the picture how superman's image has been changed over the years. Notice how much more "masculine" he looks.

This is what are men have to look up to. They want to be exactly like him, which means putting on a disguise. I'm not saying we should get rid of super heros, but maybe they could make the hero cry every once in a while or have weak moments. Show that not everyone is perfect.