Blog 1: The Profound Impact of Societal Expectations of Masculinity

February 20, 2024

Jessica Oehrli

Over the years, there has been progress in reducing the pressure to adhere strictly to gender stereotypes. However, many individuals, particularly men, still feel compelled to conform to these expectations due to societal norms and conventions. The term for these social expectations of being a man is called “Masculinity”. Because of masculinity, there are certain attributes, behaviours, and roles men are allegedly supposed to obey. If men don’t follow these norms, they will be judged or ridiculed by the people around them. This could ultimately affect and harm men’s mental health and make them feel alienated. 

In both works, “Invincible” and “Gomez: Guys Club” in the chapter “Man Up: Cracking the Code of Modern Manhood.”, the central characters both experience masculinity. The main characters engage with and react to the world they live in. Simultaneously, the environment around them influences their perceptions and behaviour, reflecting the societal expectations imposed upon them as young men. For instance, in both stories, the characters live in a Western society, which brings on cultural norms, values, and expectations. In Western cultures, there’s often an emphasis on valuing physical strength, resilience and the capacity to endure challenges, which is shown in both character’s experiences.

To illustrate, Carlos, the main character in Gomez: Guys Club, undergoes internal struggles and conflicts externally as he journeys to find his identity and navigates through social expectations. For example, when Carlos was a young boy, his sister and his aunt were painting their nails and he wanted to join. His aunt laughed it off and explained to him that “that is a kind of thing for girls” (1). She eventually gave in and let him paint his nails. Later on, when he went to play soccer, he experienced masculinity externally. One of his teammates said, “Why are your nails painted?” “Are you a f*ggot”.  This shows that masculinity creates issues not only for Carlos but for men in general. This example proves that if men don’t meet society’s standards, men aren’t allowed to experience and try new things without getting ridiculed. This is an issue because if men aren’t allowed to experience things, how are they going to find their identity? Carlos mentioned that when he thinks back to his childhood, there are many examples and stories of people who were enforcing his masculinity. Because of this, he says he didn’t know where to start. “Manhood is something that is enforced. Growing up, my friends and I would always tell each other to stop being a bitch or a pussy anytime someone showed weakness or vulnerability.” (Gomez 67). I believe that this shows that since masculinity is enforced on them from a very young age, especially in Western societies, men aren’t able to find their own identity, which creates internal struggles. Additionally, men will feel vulnerable and alone if they don’t fit these conformities, which Carlos proves. To illustrate, Carlos mentions how he is very vulnerable like his mom. This is a very feminine quality and makes it hard for Carlos to fit into these boundaries Western society enforces on men. “Staying within the acceptable boundaries of this enforced masculinity (or being “man enough”) was a huge issue for me as a kid, especially because I’ve always been very sensitive.”(Gomez 67). This just shows how Carlos’ character and experiences provide insight into the expectations and perceptions surrounding masculinity in contemporary Western society. In other words, this provides an example of how the story explores the broader implications of the characters’ experiences on contemporary Western masculinity. 

 In the short film “Invincible”, Marc, the main character, is a young boy who lives in a juvenile detention centre. Marc is challenged with the pressure to conform to a masculine identity imposed by the external environment of the institution he’s immersed in, which ultimately imposes internal struggles on Marc. Trapped within the confines of the juvenile system, he experiences a sense of isolation, unable to seek comfort or support. Consequently, he resorts to disruptive behaviour as a coping mechanism, masking his inner chaos in an attempt to assert control over his emotions. Conclusively, the institution shaped Marc since he felt emotionally isolated and unable to have support, which led him to struggle even more mentally. He felt very alone and misunderstood. As a result, his self-esteem became very low and he ended up losing this internal battle. 

In conclusion, the narratives both portray the profound impact of social expectations on the main characters experiences in the Western society. Both characters live in a world where it is enforced to conform to specific gender norms, however this has an impact on men, which causes internal struggles and external pressure that shape their identity and behaviours. Carlos’ experience shows how societal normas strongly affect men, which is evident from his childhood encounters. Additionally, his internal struggles and vulnerability show how men find it difficult to be their authentic selves because of the societal pressure, which harms their mental health and self-esteem. Similarly, in Marc’s story, it shows how being in a juvenile institutional environment reinforces the stereotypical ideas of masculinity, which ultimately makes Marc feel alone since he can’t express his emotions. Therefore, his inner struggles become worse and he doesn’t cope with them in a healthy way. Overall, I feel like these stories prompt us to reconsider the societal expectations of masculinity because we can recognize the psychological impacts on men which was demonstrated by Marc and Carlos. Furthermore, I believe that these characters experiences reflect the changing landscape of masculinity in Western society because by recognizing and making men feel safe to open up, it would create healthier relationships with men themseleves and with other people as well.