I’m not sure what the age demographics are on this site (perhaps a subject for future article Brett?), but as a young man in my early twenties I found this particularly interesting. I normally don’t talk about such things, because, well, I’m a dude. What on God’s green earth do I know about women’s issues. Still, I think here I can safely add my two cents.
I agree
that there is a double-standard when it comes to gender treatment and I’ve seen particularly disturbing examples of this at work in certain places. However, I think before men can ask what men can expect of women, men need to ask what women expect of themselves.
From here on out, I will be speaking in generalities. As with any random distribution, there will be statistical outliers and deviations from the normal line. I am not addressing these, I’m addressing the 80-95% statistical norms.
Men have had a single model for masculinity in any given era. The Macho Man. The Coporate Tycoon. The Sensitive Guy. The Metrosecual (the one I most vehemently hate). Occasionally you will have dueling standards (The Macho Man vs The Metrosexual, neither of which are healthy models) but for the most part it boils down to money, muscles, and lookin’ good. I’m not saying this is correct, I’m simply stating what I have observed in the mass media.
Now, compare the vast array of media targeted at women. Or heck, just take a look at a magazine rack in the check-out line sometime. Women live with a constant cacophony of voices, giving them different models of womanhood. Be a corporate tycoon. Be a sex-pot. Be a princess. Be a house-wife. Wear designer clothes. Ignore fashion and wear whatever’s on sale. Buy designer clothes on sale. Get a good man. Ignore men except for the occasional one-night stand. Be corporate tycoon sex-pot with a tamed, submissive man. Couple that with the stupid idea that there’s only correct model of womanhood and all others are “betrayal of the sisterhood of women everywhere” and you’ve got a recipe for utter confusion. For both genders.
I think it is necessary for women, on an individual basis, to decide what their model of womanhood is. Just as there are multiple types of manhood (Brett did a post on this a while back, November I believe), I think there are multiple variants of womanhood. The question that I’m not sure men ask (or heck women ask for that matter) is what those variants are.
I’m not sure what the age demographics are on this site (perhaps a subject for future article Brett?), but as a young man in my early twenties I found this particularly interesting. I normally don’t talk about such things, because, well, I’m a dude. What on God’s green earth do I know about women’s issues. Still, I think here I can safely add my two cents.
I agree that there is a double-standard when it comes to gender treatment and I’ve seen particularly disturbing examples of this at work in certain places. However, I think before men can ask what men can expect of women, men need to ask what women expect of themselves.
From here on out, I will be speaking in generalities. As with any random distribution, there will be statistical outliers and deviations from the normal line. I am not addressing these, I’m addressing the 80-95% statistical norms.
Men have had a single model for masculinity in any given era. The Macho Man. The Coporate Tycoon. The Sensitive Guy. The Metrosecual (the one I most vehemently hate). Occasionally you will have dueling standards (The Macho Man vs The Metrosexual, neither of which are healthy models) but for the most part it boils down to money, muscles, and lookin’ good. I’m not saying this is correct, I’m simply stating what I have observed in the mass media.
Now, compare the vast array of media targeted at women. Or heck, just take a look at a magazine rack in the check-out line sometime. Women live with a constant cacophony of voices, giving them different models of womanhood. Be a corporate tycoon. Be a sex-pot. Be a princess. Be a house-wife. Wear designer clothes. Ignore fashion and wear whatever’s on sale. Buy designer clothes on sale. Get a good man. Ignore men except for the occasional one-night stand. Be corporate tycoon sex-pot with a tamed, submissive man. Couple that with the stupid idea that there’s only correct model of womanhood and all others are “betrayal of the sisterhood of women everywhere” and you’ve got a recipe for utter confusion. For both genders.
I think it is necessary for women, on an individual basis, to decide what their model of womanhood is. Just as there are multiple types of manhood (Brett did a post on this a while back, November I believe), I think there are multiple variants of womanhood. The question that I’m not sure men ask (or heck women ask for that matter) is what those variants are.
Okay, so that was more than two cents worth. ... See all content Hide content
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