Tough Guise Response. Carly Jensen

The film Tough Guise offers insights into the world of masculinity similar to what Kimmel discussed in Guyland. Kimmel and the film both identified the restrictive definition of manhood and how men today are forced to fit into the “box of masculinity”.  Tough Guise discusses the social construction of masculinity and the influence media and pop culture images have on the definition. The film opens up with an iconic scene from The Wizard of Oz where the great wizard was revealed to be a weak and pathetic man who had been just a wizard in disguise.  I agree with the statement that all men are putting on a masculine disguise to hide anything that would be considered against a gender norm. It is interesting to look at the gender performance through the pop culture lens.

I definitely agree that in today’s society the media plays a significant role in the social construction of gender and the box of masculinity. Young children spend hours watching TV or playing video games that present the typical image of a masculine man. If a boy grows up idealizing the masculine image then their actions will reflect the actions of their role model. The film discussed the statistics that 90% of violence is committed by men or boys.  Almost every mainstream movie or TV show depicts violence as a male quality, as if it is a gender norm. I do not understand why people want to promote violence as the ideal image of the male gender. I remember the first and only time I watched “ The Jersey Shore” and not understanding the appeal of the beefed up and over aggressive male cast members. I watched numerous fights and outbursts of violent emotions in just one episode. Why would MTV want to enforce a stereotype and further encourage people to assume that all men are violent? However unrealistic the cast members are,  “The Jersey Shore” is a major hit and the cast members are setting the standard for masculinity as well as the female’s role in the masculine performance. I wonder if the media stopped promoting the typical violent male would the statistics change? The anecdotes about school shootings, abuse, and hazing, illustrate that this trend is a dangerous epidemic. Although TV shows like the “Jersey Shore” seem harmless, they create a gender norm and promote a negative image of masculinity. How can the positive aspects of manhood be incorporated into the male performance? Katz presents a solution in making images of male and boys violence more visible. Will a new and different image of a man in the media help? If the American culture stopped caring about aggressive male characters than the media would change.  If media holds as much power as the film claims it does can the media change the image of masculinity?