Masculinities represented in music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Masculinities represented in music - Essay Example In brief, a person is either male or female. The latter wholly defines sex as a noun as seen in the society. Gender, in simpler terms, is the state of being either of the two sexes. Masculinity comes in as an attribute of male sexuality. It is the male attribute whose representation in the film industry forms the discussion in the following discourse. Masculinity is not only part of a dualistic gender but under a broader spectrum is what every man is seen to contain that gives rise to that unique manly identity that defines his social and daily life. According to the argument put forward by constructionist , masculinity is constantly changing. This is in tandem with how these changes relate to the wider society. In reference to the argument fronted above, masculinity entails both the aspect of homosexuality as well as heterosexuality. However, according to conservative traditions, masculinity is an attribute of heterosexuality. It is a common belief that for one's masculinity to be c omplete there has to be an attraction to a feminine being. This is the heterosexuality matrix. Basically, this means that for any person to be considered as heterosexual, one must instinctively exhibit attraction to persons who are of the opposite gender. This is the overriding notion in conventional societies which are part of the norms or even trends that a majority in such societies rightly conforms to. The theory on heterosexuality therefore cuts off gay men as masculine. The act of penetration during sex is considered masculine hence the penetrated man is seen as feminine. Having that as an arguable fact also makes the fact that in a lesbian couple, there is a masculine female who is attracted and receives pleasure from penetrating and being in charge of another female. Sexuality complicates gender and the motion on proving masculinity in homosexuals has been continuing for a while. In order for one to understand the masculinity in gender one has to understand the stereotypes i n it as well. In the society, dominance and power sharing is also a factor in the determination of masculinity according to the sexes. Due to the masculine stereotype being portrayed as more dominant to the feminine stereotype, the society tends to respect it and admire it. The media and sports alike have had an effect from this stereotype. Femininity is generally weaker and less influential and mostly for pleasure by masculinity. The society itself shows the difference between masculinity and femininity with practices that are in everyday life. A man, for example, gets a two week maternity leave while a lady gets a twelve week maternity leave. A man generally gets a higher pay as opposed to a female in the same line of work. Women are responsible for domestic development and are the guardians to their homes while the man is the provider. Ladies are more scared and prone to hurt from simple threats as opposed to men. Until recently, the army was a man-only job while the women nursed and tended to the injured. Gender has a way of stereotyping certain activities in the society to fit the roles of the sexes. Modernity tries to beat the role of gender in stereotyping but it fails terribly due to the culture associated with the sexes. Some men feel less satisfied by some jobs they do due to the belief of femininity in them. A man, for example, feels unsatisfied as a nurse a job associated with serving which is feminine in nature. The struggle