Response to Tough Guise

           

Post by Jenn Hyslip 

          At the beginning of the film, the narrator, Jackson Katz, defines the term “tough guise” as the front that men put on to gain respect through violence. A significant amount of the film is dedicated to the ways in which the media is constantly reinforcing this “tough guise”. One detail that stood out to me was the measurements of the well-known G.I. Joe doll. In the 1970s, G.I. Joe’s bicep was measured to be twelve (not sure how it is measured) in diameter. However, today, G.I. Joe’s arms have grown exponentially and now measure to be twenty-six in diameter. This seems almost unfathomable to me. It really speaks to how the perception of a good-looking male has changed. Now a day, in order for males to be recognized, they must have unbelievably large muscles, which once again confines the already narrow box for males to fit into. The size of the G.I. Joe made me think about the size of a Barbie, a doll targeted for a young female audience. I researched how measurements of a Barbie doll would translate to a human. I came across an article (link below) that says if a Barbie were to be a live human, her measurements would be a 39” bust, 18” waist, and 33” hips. For anyone who isn’t familiar with these measurements, these are extreme (just look at the picture of the Barbie) and unhealthy. So, while the media does reinforce violence with regards to the male sex, it also emphasizes a negative message to females as well.

            A second element of the film that stood out to me was the violence aspect. Clearly, violence is a way for males to prove their strength and authority to others. I’ve been following the Yardley Love case from 2010. As you may already know, Yardley Love, a 22-year-old college student at UVA, died due to “blunt force trauma to the head.” As the case has come to court, Hugley, her on again off again boyfriend, is being charged with first-degree murder. Recently it has been discovered that Hugley was angry at Love because of supposed sexual relations with a lacrosse player at UNC. An email was found saying something along the lines of “I should have killed you.” What I find interesting about this case is that if it is Hugley who murdered her (which I believe to have happened), it is a prime example of how males resort to violence when they feel threatened or betrayed. Just as in Tough Guise, Hugley used violence and his angry to prove to Love that she disrespected him. But did he know that she would end up dead?

Barbie link: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42595605/ns/today-today_people/t/life-size-barbie-gets-real-women-talking/#.TzmYU2NSSKw

Yardley Love link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-huguely-trial-yeardley-loves-injuries-signs-smothering/story?id=15573632#.TzmZfmNSSKx

Yardley Love video about recent developments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goyNnxI_JzI