Quiz 5

I decided to discuss different kinds of masculinity through television shows. The first is the show Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls. This show is about surviving in the most dangerous, remote places; it is almost like a survival book but on a television show. This masculinity is the "tough guys" masculinity. You first think that this show is showing people how to survive (which it is) but underneath it all, it is showing men how to be a "real man" and not to be a "pussy", in a sense. On the bottom of the ad, it says "Don't just stay alive, be alive". It is telling men to not just live but live like a "real man" by going out and having adventures. Telling the viewers that to be a real man you must go out in the wild and live on the edge. The most important factor that you need to learn to become a "real man" is to survive on your own. It is saying you don't need anyone to save you because you can always save yourself. You don't need other men and especially, you don't need women to save you. This is a great example of a "tough guy" masculinity.

Another kind of masculinity is found in the television show Mad Men. This kind of masculinity is known as hegemonic masculinity. This is when men "succeed in making it appear normal, natural, and necessary for them to enjoy power over other men and most women" (http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405124331_yr2010_chunk_g978140512433114_ss1-22). In general, it is when men are dominant and have and like having power. In this television show, it is about these men (and women) in the office in New York City. They are also seen at home which shows another kind of power. I choose this picture because of how the men are showing power (especially over the women). The two men on top are the highest up which shows power and standing in a power stance. All the women are lower and standing. The man on the bottom is the lowest but he is sitting down in a business chair which shows great power. This ad is providing the point that men are in power and dominant (especially over the women) both in the office and back home.