Students Warned: Bulging Biceps, Big Guns Advance Unhealthy Masculinity

[Purveyor]

JR RIDLEY - VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
OCTOBER 5, 2015

The size of G.I. Joe’s biceps and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s guns in the Terminator movies is proof that the dominant form of masculinity is out of control.

That message and similar ones were conveyed recently to students during Vanderbilt University’s “Healthy Masculinities Week,” organized by the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center. Attendance for students was optional.

The Vanderbilt week kicked off with a lecture by the first man to minor in women’s studies at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Jackson Katz. (His alma mater now offers a bachelor’s in women, gender and sexuality studies.)

The self-described “anti-sexist activist” and filmmaker said that sexual violence and domestic abuse are men’s issues and that men would “benefit tremendously from having this conversation.”

Katz founded a consulting firm that “provides gender violence prevention and leadership training to institutions in the public and private sectors” and has pioneered the use of bystander training in the U.S. military, according to his website.

MORE...

http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/24488/

[DustyJoe]

1. Priceless chuckle from the article linked

The optimum metrosexual college man described in the article as

‘Thumb-sucking little beta males in skinny jeans’

[Nuclear Unicorn]

2. I read the article. It's a lot of argument by assertion. How, pray tell, do muscles lead to DV?

[A Little Weird]

8. I don't think the article makes that claim

I agree the article was not well written but it seems that its primary assertion is that the popular view (tv, movies, "sports culture&quot of what it takes to be masculine is unhealthy. The only mention of DV that I saw was where it said that sexual violence and domestic abuse are "men's issues" and men should be talking about them.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

14. Unhealthy how?

Granted, I don't watch a lot of TV but I'm curious to know 1) what are examples of the unhealthy ideations and 2) how are they unhealthy?

Just because a bunch of people who give speeches for a living say something doesn't make the thing valid. And near as I can tell that, while DV is still a problem, to be accused of DV is the PR kiss of death because our culture takes such a dim view of it.

[A Little Weird]

18. I was not the one who made the assertion that it was unhealthy -

I was just pointing out that the article was not about muscles leading to domestic violence.

I do think if you watched more tv you would probably see some examples for yourself. Perhaps one of the common ones is men refusing to seek treatment for injury because it's more macho to just suck it up (watch just about any cop show long enough and you will see one of the heroes shrugging off a bullet wound with little more than a wince). On tv it's one thing, but in the real world it doesn't always work out so well. (Example: a cousin ignored a wound that could have been easily treated and then wound up in the hospital for a week with a blood infection.)

But I think it would have been more helpful if the author of the article had pointed out some examples of what he does consider to be healthy masculinity. It seems like it would be more helpful to compare and contrast different behaviors or characters or cultures than to just throw out vague assertions. Even though the article was horribly written, I think some of the ideas that were touched upon are interesting and would be worth reading more about.

[lumberjack_jeff]

23. "...pointed out some examples of what he does consider to be healthy masculinity"

Excellent observation.

You never see it because the academics in question consider masculinity inherently bad. There's no such thing as healthy masculinity - it's all the "toxic" variety.

[DashOneBravo]

28. +1

[arely staircase]

3. Masculinity week. Sponsored by Women's center. nt

[Egnever]

4. weee

This lays out pretty well why few take these folks seriously.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. It was nice of Margaret to make her week-long event optional.

Missing that time in the gym would be a bummer.

Just, whatever you do, don't call it haranguing.

[B2G]

6. Imagine the outrage

If some men hosted an event stating that big boobs make women appear dumb.

I am so sick of people telling other people what is body apropriate.

[olddots]

7. oy gym rats on parade

[Prism]

9. Oh lord

They should rename this series of study. "Why Aren't Men Women? Four Academics in Search of a Paycheck"

I also enjoy how much self-loathing is involved here.

There was an article last week in, I think, the New York Times discussing what the modern man is. It was all about shopping and crying and fashion choices and just the most shallow, shallow aspects of consumer culture. So cringe. I'm a gay man, and even I thought it was a bit much on the nose of a gay male stereotype.

Although, it's nice to see the body dysmorphia problem getting a little play. Whenever someone complains about Barbie, I always reply, "Ever see an action figure from the eighties?" Their rib muscles have rib muscles.

[closeupready]

24. Nailed it at "Four Academics in Search of a Paycheck". Ding ding ding!

(I'd be embarrassed for them if I felt they were capable of feeling shame, but likely they are arrogant, man-hating feminists, so what's the point.)

[Prism]

29. I also enjoyed this article

Evaluating masculinity, hidden sexism, and pumpkin spice lattes

What happens to a college student's brain when the people in the OP get a hold of squishy minds. Lawdy.

[closeupready]

30. A part of me thinks maybe she's being sarcastic...?

Or maybe not, which really is a scary thought.

There are days when I come here to DU, and when I wrap up my time here for the day, I thank my lucky stars that I'm a 100% gay man - gay, gay GAY. And I know you know what I mean.

[Prism]

32. Amen!

Although, we're starting to hash this out (for the billionth time) with the rise of gaybros. Who I do not understand, because everything they like is just regular crap. Plus occasional 300+ post threads about hot guys on their favorite WB show. But they're different, you guys! Serious. Not like those other gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays.

Ah, youth.

Except a lot of these people are in their 30s.

Hmmm.

[RedCappedBandit]

10. Atrociously written article. nt

[Throd]

11. Try not to be ruggedly handsome with a firm, square jaw and dreamy eyes.

[ShrimpPoboy]

12. What can I say?

It's a curse.

[Initech]

13. Sitting on your ass drinking beer isn't good, bulging biceps aren't good...

Fuck it, I'll take the beer!

[davidn3600]

15. Strain theory

Article makes me think of what sociologists refer to as "strain theory;" to suggest a gap between reality and a social ideal.

Basically what it means is that society forms a standard or a baseline or ideal of the way a person is supposed to function within the society. And you need to reach that particular level in order to function. When a person fails or is not able to meet that baseline (or lacks the resources to do it) then psychological strain can result. And that individual may form different behaviors and actions to try to reconcile. They may lash out at those they feel responsible. They may turn to crime. They may put on a false act. The failure to reach the ideal could also lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and even feelings of worthlessness.

I've seen some make the claim that strain theory helps explain the odd American phenomenon of mass shootings. They point out all these shooters are male, depressed, socially-isolated, and have failed to reach certain ideals that are not attainable to them.

You could consider gender roles to be involved. Men are expected to be strong, dominant, heterosexual, and be the provider of the family. When he fails to meet this criteria, he may develop feelings as if he's not a "real man." He's been programmed by society what that "real man" really means.
It's not suggesting working out and wanting to be strong and have big muscles is the problem. The problem is the ideal that is being presented and the pressure that pushes others towards it. Feminists frequently comment about how women are presented in movies and video games and the media and how much pressure it puts on girls to be that way. But the same thing happens with boys who feel pressure to fit into the stereotypes that they see presented of masculinity in the media.

[A Little Weird]

19. That's a much more succint and helpful explanation than anything in the article

I have read a little about this concept on a feminist site (in regard to both feminine and masculine gender roles) but I had never heard the name of it. Thanks!

[MisterP]

16. what, no Rob Liefeld? (please don't Google his version of Captain America)

G.I. Joe’s biceps have gotten larger over the years and that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone use bigger guns for their iconic roles as the Terminator and Rambo than did Humphrey Bogart in his 1930s and 1940s film roles.

[sub.theory]

17. Our masculinity crisis is reaching crisis level

Men no longer know what it means to be a man. We are awash in man-children, or on the other end those into macho posturing "alpha male" idiocy. Both are a recipe for disaster. What I see very little of are genuine men. i also believe that this is the reason behind many mass shootings. It's not a mental health issue. It's a social issue. Young men are utterly adrift and without any sort of template or role models. They retreat into a world of videogames, comic books, and pornography where they desperate seek to avoid the adult world and relationships. Or they become tattooed idiots, degrading and dominating women, hitting the gym and worshipping MMA to achieve some cartoon version of being a man.

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. Largely agree.

But popular culture and campus culture both promote damaging stereotypes - but unlike the one promoted at college, popular culture's stereotype isn't completely and entirely negative.

I think women pick up stereotypes about what "real men" are like from this idiocy - and consciously or unconsciously seek out the men that they understand.

[leftyladyfrommo]

25. I think young women have always gone for the he-man type.

When I was in high school it was the greasers with their duck tails and leather jackets and boots. The whole rebel thing. But it doesn't take very long to figure out that those guys are kind of a mess.

Older women know better. I think the sexiest men on earth are the really devoted family guys. I love to see a guy who is just having as really good time with his kids and who is devoted to his wife.

[Throd]

26. I agree. Real men are a dying breed. n/t

[closeupready]

27. Gotta agree, if by 'we' you mean American males.

If so, yes, I completely agree.

[cwydro]

31. This is a good post.

Men seem to be floundering these days.

[romanic]

20. Sounds like typical beta male meets pussyhound b.s.

And pray tell, wtf is "healthy masculinity"?

[closeupready]

22. A Women's Center organizing a "Healthy Masculinities" lecture.

The jokes write themselves sometimes.

[AZ Progressive]

33. That's not going to work. If women want to influence men in that way....

They should get women and young girls to reject the hyper-masculine guys. Once hyper-masculine guys stop being able to get women, they will stop being like that.