Masculinity

Case Studies:

TV - Mad men
Magazine - Mens Health

Theory:

R.W.Connell - masculinities
David Gauntlet - Med's Magazines and Modern Male identities 2002

Hegemonic masculinity

• Traditional Masculinity:

- strong
- working man
- unemotional

Genres:
- action/crime
- comedy
-western, war

• Traditional Femininity

- image conscious
- sex object
- patriarch (mother figure)

Genres
- drama/melodrama
- romantic/rom-com
-musical

• R.W Connel

-suggests that there are 4 types of masculinities, these four types are present in our society. e.g when boys are growing up they are told what a 'man' should be

• Hegemonic (traditional)

- dominant form of masculinity in our society
- culturally valued the most
- qualities include: heterosexuality, whiteness, physical strength, suppression of emotions

• Complicit

- a man who doesn't fit into the hegemonic traits, but doesn't challenge it
- often admires the characteristics of hegemonic masculinity

• Marginalised

- cannot fit into the hegemonic because of certain characteristics , e.g race.
- still subscribe to norms of hegemonic masculinity like physical strength and aggression
- men of colour or disability

• Subordinate

- exhibit qualities that are the opposite of those values in hegemonic masculinity, e.g physical weakness, express emotion
-gay or effeminate men

different types of gender;
'femininities' and 'masculinities' describe gender identities. they describe socio-cultural categories in everyday language; these terms are used differently in biology. Because femininities and masculinities are gender identities, they are shaped by socio-cultural processes, not biology. Femininities and masculinities are plural and dynamic; they change with culture and individuals. 

Gender; 
- In everyday language, femininity's and masculinities do not map onto biological sex. in any one cultures certain behaviours or practices may be highly recognised as 'feminine' or 'masculine' irrespective of whether they are adopted by women or men. the actual acts themselves, e.g job roles, are associated with a certain sexual orientation.
- Femininities and masculinities are plural- there are many forms of each. what is defined as feminine or masculine varies from region , class , national culture and other social factors. how masculinities and femininities are valued differs culturally. 
- Any one person - women or man- engages in many forms of femininity and masculinity which she or her adopts (consciously or unconsciously) depending on context, the expectations of others, life stage, and so forth. a man can engage in what are often stereotyped as feminine activities, such as caring for a sick parent. for example;
Mam: Cover Manager ( office) would be considered feminine
Dad: Ex Welder , now lecturer of Welding and Fabrication - would be considered masculine 
- Cultural notions of 'feminine' and 'masculine' behaviour are shaped in part by observations about what men and women do. this kind of 'gender marking' tends to discourage women or men from entering 'gender-inauthentic' occupations  
- Femininities and masculinities are learned. messages about 'feminine' and 'masculine' behaviours are embedded in advertising, media, news, educational materials and so forth. these messages are present in a range of environments, from the home to the workplace to public spaces.