The Manhood Crisis

Masculinity described by Kimmel involves a lot of pressure that can be too much for men to live up to.  Problems such as work, being a good dad, and even competing for success are all expectations for male figures and they have to do it at a high level to be seen as a real man. Kimmel discussed how men's role being a bread winner in the 1960s brought few rewards and left men feeling stuck in the stereotypical business industry, which I find interesting because this is the time the Feminine Mystique came about discussing the opposite role of women being forced into the role of motherhood and housewife. This proves that expectations for both men and women were unrealistic - men becoming angry and women anxious. Masculinity was brought into boys' lives very early on. The idea of the wimp brought negative notions on men who were sensitive, eager to please, and looked upon as weak. Men always are trying to prove their manliness whether in the sports field, workplace, and military but I think they see themselves falling short if they don't prove their ego right, time and time again. "We're pumping up and working out obsessively to make our bodies impervious masculine machines, carving and sculpting these bodily works-inprogress, while we adorn ourselves with signifiers of a bygone era of unchallenged masculinity, donning Stetson cologne, Chaps clothing, and Timberland boots as we drive our Cherokees and Denalis to conquer the urban jungle" (Kimmel, 238). This quote says a lot about never obtaining their goal, always being a "work-inprogress" and about being casually masculine when some effort is put into that persona.  

I found this video that someone posted on Facebook, which is about how harmful three simple words can be - "be a man." The video touches not only on the idea of being tough and learning to restrain emotions at an early age but also that boys and eventually man turn to aggression rather than dealing with the real issue. The video shows that aggression looks like misconduct or a troublemaking kid but in reality could be a boy who has just been taught to deal with his emotions that way.

https://sftimes.co/?id=131&src=share_fb_new_131