Blog 4: "Tough Guise"

I think some benefits of putting on the tough guise for boys and men is more of a bonding experience for them. I guess it could also help with their self esteem if they are accepted for the tough guise that they present to the world. The benefits would only come from the acceptance of others which would probably come from other males who partake in the tough guise and have also been accepted for it. It is effective and adaptive in the protection of themselves and others, but it can be self-destructive in taking on the ego or personality of the person. It could also be dangerous to others in that they might feel that at all times that their manhood cannot be threatened and in doing so they will hurt others or put themselves in dangerous situations to maintain the status of their manhood. If you are on the other side of the tough guise, such as those who are homosexual or who may not be as big or strong as others, you will be disadvantaged from the tough guise in that males will use you to make them feel more "manly" which can also be dangerous.

I think that many people see gender's issues synonymous with women's issues because women are seen as more disadvantaged than males because history has often portrayed women as less than. I think it is also because women are more vocal about thier issues than that of males. It's just like the same situation when you say minority issues and people typically think of African Americans, but that is not always the case. I think it is also because men are taught to "man up" so having issues is not "manly." So if men go around talking about their problems with body image or not being treated fairly they are seen as less than or a "wussy" because they are not considered masculine enough to just take it. This thought process leaves men not being able to express their emotions, so instead of crying when they are sad they will express it in anger in order to keep the status of being masculine enough. They will break something rather than express their hurt so that their manhood is not threatened. It is very destructive for everyone involved because you don't know what they might do to express their emotions.

The potential effects of boys and men trying to live up to these cultural ideals of physical size and strength is the same dangerous effects as the cultural ideals of size and beauty among women. There is bigorexia and manorexia more common now more than ever. It is just as emotionally destrucive and health concious as women's issues. I remember watching a tyra show with a male who suffered from bigorexia who got so big to the point where his arm actually exploded. Everytime he looked in the mirror, he just saw someone who needed to be bigger even though he was huge to everyone else. Even after the whole ordeal and getting to a healthy size, he still looked very big. Steroid use had become an everyday habit to him. The bigger he got the more he saw himself as big, strong, and powerful.

The media in some way inspire change because their constant message on what you should be and look like and people pay close attention to every little detail. There so much attention paid to the tabloids and what is the hot new look that the media strongly influences what IS the beauty standard for both sexes. People has the top 50 most beautiful people in the world while maxim has the hot 100. Its everywhere telling people what is beautiful and who is the new "it" person to watch and wanna be. People see celebrities on tv and they think they are so beautiful and confident unlike me and so I want to be that person I see on the tv screen, I wanna have people look up to me as I look to them. People tend to make this supersized version of the person they see on tv which is why they say that you should never meet your hero because you will realize how human they truly are.