”the working man is a sucker”

Masculinity can be portrayed in many different ways especially when we are discussing movie characters. The character I chose to portray the masculinity most common to our lives is Lorenzo anello (robert de niro) in the movie. He plays the main characterès (cologero) father. Cologero is stuck in the middle between his father telling him to go to school and get an education while he hangs out with his gangster friend (sunny). Sunny is telling cologero the same thing but cologero sees the life of a gangster and worships sunny because of it seeing him almost as a mentor. 

Lorenzo wants his son to stay away from these people because he does not want his son to hang around these gangsters or worse become one. Cologero sees sunny as the alpha figure of the neighborhood being the boss of the city and sees him as a mentor. What he is unaware of is that people fear sunny and don’t respect him. He wants to be sunny which is the complete opposite of what his father wants for him.

The scene that stands out to me the most was when the bikers go into sunny’s bar thinking they can take it over. But when sunny and his tough guy friends came in showed them who the real tough guys were when cologero really idolized sunny and wanted him to be his mentor.

The masculinity portrayed in this movie stands out to me the most when Lorenzo gives his son a speech about how Sunny thinks he is a tough guy when the real tough guy is him. “ It doesn’t take much to shoot a gun but it takes a real man to get up early in the morning and go to work everyday”. 

“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent” told to cologero everyday by his father. He wants his son to succeed in life without having to become a gangster to have lots of money. The masculinity portrayed here is a father figure trying to protect his son from a tough world of violence and crime. 

Lorenzo wants his son to understand that the life he glorifies of guns, drugs and money is not a life he wants. He wants him to have a good education and get a well paying job like a real man would do. He explains how a gangster life seems very cool and masculine until it comes down to when someone has a gun to your head and now you’re powerless. 

I decided to choose this character because it symbolizes how a father trying to protect his son is the most masculine thing any man can do in my opinion. A family man who goes to work to provide for his family is the most alpha type of masculinity a man can have. Sacrificing his life to protect the ones he loves.

The Don

Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character Mario Puzzo ‘s 1969 novel The Godfather and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola’s film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film The Godfather, and later by Oreste Baldini as a boy and by Robert De Niro as a young man in The Godfather Part II (1974). He is an orphaned Sicilian immigrant who builds a Mafia empire. 

Vito Corleone, like many mob boss characters in “The Godfather” and similar works, often embodies harmful stereotypes about Italian Americans, masculinity, and criminality. He’s portrayed as powerful and ruthless, reinforcing the idea that men must be dominant and violent to succeed. This glorification of toxic masculinity perpetuates harmful norms. Additionally, the depiction of Vito romanticizes criminal behavior, which can lead to negative stereotypes against Italian American communities. Women in these stories are often sidelined and portrayed in traditional roles, reinforcing the idea that they exist to serve men. Overall, these portrayals contribute to the normalization of harmful gender norms and stereotypes in pop-culture, highlighting the need for more inclusive and equitable representations.

Characters like Vito Corleone often represent traditional forms of masculinity, emphasizing dominance, aggression, and emotional stoicism. When these traits are celebrated in pop-media, they influence how individuals perceive masculinity. Men may feel pressured to obey to these ideals, leading to feelings of inadequacy if they don’t. These portrayals also affect relationship dynamics, as men who embody this image may struggle to express vulnerability or connect emotionally with partners, leading to strained relationships. Additionally, these representations reinforce societal gender norms, suggesting that men should be dominant decision-makers, which can perpetuate inequality. 

In summary, the portrayal of masculinity in pop-culture, exemplified by characters like Vito Corleone, shapes societal attitudes. By promoting more diverse and subtle representations, we can challenge harmful stereotypes and foster healthier notions of gender identity.

Dance with “Macho Man”

“Macho Man” from the Village People

“Macho Man” suggests guys identify with the perfect model of a man in society through the masculine body’s expectations. “The body always in demand” represents the body that society expects from a man. Appearance is the main focus in the song and the video clip as if a man would only be defined by his appearance.

The body language of the dancers demonstrates their irresistible physical traits as men. They touch their bodies as if their bodies were merchandise. The song represents the stereotype of the perfect model of masculinity: “Every man wants to be a macho man to have the kind of body always in demand.” Failing to have an ideal body can lead males to doubt about their self-esteem in a negative way. Since body shaping takes time and discipline, guys can be frustrated, annoyed and guilty for not fitting into society’s expectations. The efforts to aspire to the ideal body are seen in the video clip with “joggin’ in the mornings, workouts in the health spa, muscles grow,” and lifts of weights. The lyrics and the images give the illusion that if they aspire to match the characteristics of a macho body, then they will see themselves as irresistible divines like Hercules. “Baby, it’s too much, my body,” claims that the man thinks his body is so hot that no girl can resist him.

The dancers show such confidence in their moves because they assume that their bodies are worthy of admiration: “Body, don’t you tease my body, body, you’ll adore my body, body, come explore my body.” Individuals’ self-perceptions can be damaged by a wrong vision of masculinity demonstrated in the song because the macho man’s body stereotype is constructed on a restricted identity of a man’s body. Ideals about the body are impossible and unrealistic to achieve because these are from opinions that always change from century and person.

“Macho Man” suggests guys identify with the perfect model of a man in society through a masculine behaviour. The lyrics describe the stereotype of a man being though. At the “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey” part of the song, the dancers punch like boxers. The example of boxing movements demonstrates a physical aggressiveness image representing the toughness encouraged by traditional masculinity. Also, the definition of a macho man, according to society’s expectations, is someone who has power. As a result, another stereotype dictating the behaviour of men is to be a leader: “Always look so boss, he’s a king.” Men are supposed to have a job that reflects their power. The song seems like a subliminal message that enters the mind of guys and insists on “I gotta be a macho.”

As can be seen in the video clip, one of the dancers was either a builder, police officer, cowboy, or soldier. All these “traditional masculine” jobs are assigned to men because these jobs give the status “you can best believe that, he’s a macho man.” The harmful part of the behaviour encouraging the stereotype of being powerful is to think that you are superior and have the tendency to discriminate others. When the ego takes all the place in relationships, people tend to be unrespectable and forget their values. Relationships and environment can become toxic. Moreover, the lyrics create the illusion that “every man ought to be a macho, macho man to live a life of freedom.” This last sentence from the lyrics suggests men must follow masculine norms to have the privilege of freedom. However, men are already prisoners of the stereotype “macho man” with so many manhood norms.

Say Hello To My Little Blog Post

Through the figure of Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant whose rise to notoriety in Miami’s drug trade exemplifies both the appeal and dangers of traditional masculine ideals, Brian De Palma’s renowned film “Scarface” conveys an engaging examination of masculinity. Tony Montana embodies the characteristics that are often associated with masculinity, such as ambition, dominance, and taking risks. However, beneath his charming exterior comes a darker side ruled by violence, dominance over women, and a never-ending pursuit for money. “Scarface” explores the complex relationship between traditional masculinity and its negative impacts on people and society through Tony’s multifaceted portrayal. This blog will evaluate how Tony Montana’s character serves as a lens for exploring the complexity of masculinity, examining the conflict between societal expectations and the damaging consequences of toxic masculinity portrayed in the film.

One of the central aspects of Tony’s character is his relentless ambition, a trait often associated with traditional masculinity. From the moment he sets foot in Miami, Tony is driven by a singular goal: to obtain power and wealth at any cost. His determination to rise to the top of the drug trade exemplifies the societal expectation for men to be ambitious and competitive in pursuit of success. Moreover, in order to reach his goal of ultimate wealth and power, Tony maintains a dominant approach toward others, highlighting his conformity to conventional gender stereotypes that associate power and strength with masculinity. 

Throughout the film, he asserts his dominance through acts of violence, intimidation, and manipulation, reinforcing the notion that men should exert control over their environment and those around them.

Furthermore, the way Tony treats women—in particular, his sister Gina—highlights the misogynistic traits that are deeply embedded in traditional masculinity. His possessiveness and behaviour toward Gina renders her as an object to be owned and controlled, which is in line with the social norm arguing that men should have authority over women.

In addition, Tony’s extravagant way of life—which includes expensive cars and fancy homes—is a prime example of the hypermasculine ideal, which values wealth and status. His continuous pursuit of wealth is a reflection of the social norm that expects males to support and care for their families, often at the expense of emotionally healthy relationships. Despite this, Tony overcomes stereotypes of masculinity by showing vulnerability in his relationships. His relationships with Elvira, his wife, and Manny, his best friend, demonstrate the complexities of masculinity and how they affect interpersonal relationships by revealing insecurities and emotionally dependent moments. 

In summary, “Scarface” explores masculinity by highlighting both its benefits and drawbacks. The movie explores the complex essence of masculinity through Tony Montana’s character, demonstrating how aggression, control, and emotional vulnerability can coexist with traditional ideas of ambition, domination, and materialism. Viewers are forced to consider the negative impacts of toxic masculinity on people and society by analyzing Tony’s portrayal, which makes them consider the need for more inclusive and diverse gender representations in popular culture.

Blog: Oral Presentation-Mr.Incredible

Masculinity is a huge theme in the Incredibles films, something that may come as a surprise for a superhero film about a family that fights villains together.  The main character Mr. Incredible faces ups and downs concerning traditional gender norms and what requires someone to be masculine. Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is a superhero that wields superhuman strength, the rest of the Parr family also have their own respective powers such as speed, elasticity and invisibility to name a few. Mr. Incredible is portrayed as a very strong man, saving lives, stopping criminals and an overall invincible guy which can draw similarities to older gender roles in families with the father being the protector of the family, strong, put together and seemingly invincible to any emotion or physical damage. The idea of Bob being invulnerable gets tested later when he’s challenged by a new villain Syndrome, when Mr. Incredible gets defeated and captured by his new foe the roles get reversed, his family comes to save him and in a sense be his protector which normally would be his role. Syndrome attacks his family, something that brings out his emotions of anger, sadness, and despair. Sadness was once reserved for only the women and children, the idea of crying being associated with a “sissy” or being a “baby”, but in Bob’s case it just shows the love he has for his wife and kids. The second film continues to challenge stereotypes with the whole flipping of traditional gender roles, Mr. Incredible taking care of the kids as a stay-at-home dad while his wife, Elastigirl takes the role of bread winner and works. Bob learns the troubles of being a stay-at-home parent and faces many hurdles dealing with the kids all the time. Many men who take on a bigger role in the house might feel often criticized for not being manly enough or soft will see themselves in this movie and have a strong male figure to look up to. Making more people feel comfortable in their role or even allow for more men to not feel emasculated by taking care of their family is a very nice thing to include in such an action-packed film. Mr. Incredibles character progression throughout the films display an evolving portrayal of masculinity in media and wider acceptance of various definitions of what it means to be a man, he gives more understanding to society of how to balance both work and family while also giving flowers to all the stay-at-home parents around the globe who don’t see enough praise.

Gaming Communities.

Video games have been out for a while now, bringing many people together, playing and finding similar interests to one another. Multiplayer games, such as League of Legends, CS:GO and many among these have built a community within one another and grew bigger and bigger.

CS:GO

League of Legends

Unfortunately, video games have been mostly dominated by the male gender and continues, to this day, to still by lead by men. However in the more recent days, women have started being more and more present in the world of games.

But back then, because men have dominated this area of content, when women were present, a lot of misogyny and sexism would be present. Calling them slurs and insulting them for participating in something they do not “belong” in. Common insults being that women should be in the kitchen, asking them to make them, the men, a sandwich or that they are dishwashers. Unfortunately, this is still present in our current days when playing video games, however, it has become less present as men have progressed in a positive way and non downgrading.

Though most comments to women in game are mean insults, there are also cases where men will “hit” on the girl, making her very uncomfortable and not knowing how to react. Often times, when the girl does not reciprocate, the men will take this personally and “throw” the game, meaning they will purposefully do bad or lose, or switch up and start insulting the girl.

Of course, there are some men who will attempt at “protecting” or “defending” the girl by pointing out the other persons behavior. However when they do, some may portray them as a “sissy”, a “pussy” or a “pick-me”, for attempting to do so, therefore resulting in him also getting made fun of. Sadly, this discourages people to speak up.

A common stereotype being that women are not good a video games, men will often get frustrated when finding out they have a girl on their team, in fear of losing the game. Resulting in them leaving or in just being super negative/rude the whole game. A prime example that can display this type of behavior is a Valorant streamer named JasonR. In march of 2022, he was put in game lobby, to which he had asked a question, where a girl had replied. He then pretended that his game “crashed”. It was a big controversy as he tried to lie about it, but there being multiple instances where this had happened.

One of the few moments where JasonR displayed toxic masculinity.

Oral Presentation blog:

The reason why I chose Jake Peralta for this presentation is because Jake embodies positive masculinity. Jake is a character who challenges toxic masculinity and breaks certain stigmas of how men “should be” in society. Jake is a goofy,confident,talented and loyal detective but he also isn’t afraid to show his vulnerable side. He’s not afraid of what others will think of him or of the certain “boxes” men are put in due to society’s toxic norms.He’s not afraid to be who he is and show/express his emotions to others. He’s also not afraid to stand up for the women in his life and unconditionally support them. Throughout the season’s we see how Jake grows as a person and how he’s impacted those around him. At first Jake was just a funny but determined detective, but throughout the seasons we see his personality develop and become more mature,serious and open.Jake also impacts his colleagues in many ways. For example, Rosa (one of Jake’s partners/colleagues) is known to be very tough and closed off but Jake helps her be a little more open and willing to ask for help. Such as when Rosa decides to come out as bisexual to her parents, she asks Jake to help her. Even when things don’t go too well with her parents,Jake is there for her and assures her she’s loved and supported. Jake helps them all be better people and believe in themselves. He includes everyone and deeply loves and cares for all his friends. Another example is when the squad finds out Rosa is on scene of an active shooter situation and the team starts to panick and struggle to keep their cool. Jake helps calm them down and keep a positive mind by letting them express how they’re feeling and creating a safe environment even though he himself was stressing as well. It’s just one way that Jake demonstrates how just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you have to conform to certain gender norms and be emotionless or closed off and always tough. Another example is Jake’s relationship with his father. They never really got along and his dad was not always there. It played a big part in shaping Jake throughout his childhood to adulthood. It affected his relationships due to fear of commitment and abandonment but as we see Jake grow as a person he learns to navigate those feelings and properly communicate and be open with others. As Jake and Amy later on throughout the series were expecting their son, Jake vowed to change and not be like his father and to be the best dad he could possibly be, which he was. Things like that help create a better, more positive space for men and the show is really refreshing and impactful for anyone that watches. Jake is the complete opposite of what toxic masculinity is and is a character that can and should be seen as a role model for men to look up to and aspire to be. The whole show is an incredible demonstration of a beautiful and healthy environment/lifestyle that everyone should aim to achieve. It’s more than just a comedic show, it has meaning and as you progress through the show you’ll discover just that. This show has become a comfort show for me and I can watch it repeatedly and still be entertained without getting bored, while also learning and appreciating its beauty. (I linked a short video that shows how kind and supportive Jake is towards the women he works with,etc… here) ➡️ Jake Peralta Being A Feminist Icon | Brooklyn 99

Screenshot

⬆️This tweet references an episode of the show where Jake meets his idol who turns out to be a homophobic and sexist man which leads Jake to no longer admire/look up to him. Another example of Jake helping to go against these toxic masculinity mindsets and stand up for what’s right.

Blog 3: Oral Presentation – Tony Stark

In the superhero world, Tony Stark (Iron Man) stands out, not just for his brilliance or heroic actions but for his role in reshaping perceptions of masculinity. Stark, a billionaire and technological innovator, initially personifies the archetype of the untouchable, flashy male. However, as the story goes on, we witness a profound exploration of vulnerability, growth, and the true essence of strength.

Tony Stark’s story challenges the traditional pillars of masculinity. Physical dominance, emotional suppression, and lone resilience. His struggle with PTSD following the battle in New York brings a crucial aspect of his character to light: his vulnerability. Stark’s openness about his mental health struggles breaks from the stoic male prototype, fostering a broader, more inclusive conversation around masculinity.

This portrayal is key for several reasons. It shows a change from portraying male characters as impenetrable and detached, paving the way for a narrative that embraces emotional depth and the reality of personal battles. Stark’s journey from a self-absorbed businessman to a hero who prioritizes the greater good over personal gain redefines responsibility within the context of modern masculinity. It underscores the importance of leveraging one’s abilities and influence for collective benefit, rather than individual honour. Analyzing Stark, we find a relatable figure whose complexity adds a new layer to the understanding of manhood. His evolution illustrates the shifting dynamics of masculinity, shining light on the significance of adaptability, empathy, and collective well-being.

Robert Downey Jr’s character’s impact extends beyond the cinematic universe, offering insights into the contradictions and challenges of traditional manhood. His story is a compelling narrative of transformation that advocates for a renewed vision of strength, one that values emotional openness and accountability.

In conclusion, Tony Stark’s legacy transcends his superhero persona, offering a blueprint for a more nuanced and empathetic masculinity. His journey is a testament to the power of change and the importance of confronting vulnerabilities, inviting us to reimagine the true meaning of strength and heroism nowadays. Through him, we see the potential for a masculinity that prioritizes the physical, the courage to be vulnerable, and the will to grow.