With the whirlwind of
cross-cultural analyses in the previous blog, it’s time to solely address the
process of manhood in America. Unlike
tribal societies, there is no specific protocol or procedure for becoming an
American man—and all American boys need not complete an arduous physical task
before gaining status. However, the
essence of American manhood has been well defined by anthropologists, beginning
in the early 19th century.
In
his work, “Manhood in America: A Cultural History,” Michael Kimmel (2006)
outlines social manhood perceptions starting in the 1800s. Historically, from then to 20th
and 21st centuries, Kimmel argues that American manhood is a
constant struggle to prove oneself to women, but moreso to other men (Kimmel 2006). The early 19th century brought
three common ideals of American manhood: the Self-Made Man, the Genteel
Patriarch, and the Heroic Artisan (Kimmel 2006). By Kimmel’s argument, it is the Self-Made Man
who is most respected by others in American society—a man who serves as a
family breadwinner and dominant social force. As Thomas Joyce further notes, this man
satisfies his wife, engages in politics, and acts as and independent and
motivated person (2011:25). With the coming
of the 1950s and big business, many men engaged in white-collar lifestyles (Joyce
2011). However, these lifestyles were
criticized, and did not embody the true manhood ideal—as wealthy men of this
class were considered more submissive and weak (Joyce 2011).
Kimmel,
in “Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the Construction of
Gender Identity,” further defines American manhood in the context of
‘sissiness’ (1994). As American manhood
is a constant struggle to continually prove oneself, the ultimate humiliation
involves ties to feminine nature. This
idea is also argued in our textbook, with C.J. Pascoe’s ethnography, Dude, You’re a Fag. In his work, Pascoe finds that ‘fag’ often
isn’t used as an outright homosexual slur.
Instead, the word is freely tossed around American school systems to
denote a blow to one’s masculinity.
Specifically, Pascoe notes how ‘fag’ is often used to describe a boy who
is full of emotion, dresses in more feminine ways, and is overall not masculine
enough. Thus, American manhood historically
shies away from the display of any ‘female’ emotions or activities.
Furthermore,
it is worth noting American manhood’s specific connections to one’s physical
nature. Kimmel (2006) describes the
increasing national popularity of sports in the 20th century, which
to this day, grosses billions of dollars in revenue each year. With increasing television and technology
access, the role model for the average American boy was often the strongest,
fastest, and most victorious athlete at the time. Moreover, the textbook highlights a
particular example of young boys and Tee-Ball.
From a young age, parents often enroll their children in sports. In the case of Tee-Ball, a case study
revealed that boy participants received more coaching than female participants. Specifically, those boy Tee-ball players who
displayed the most skill received greater encouragement and attention. Thus, from an early age, there is an
immediate American emphasis on manhood and physical strength or prowess. Coupled with sports, and other national developments
including Playboy, Kimmel (2006) notes the development of this physical
emphasis.
Overall,
there are certainly characteristics of the American ‘man’ that we value and
expect. However, the specific American
“rite of passage” for coming of age is much less loosely defined. Steven Foster (1987) says Americans possess
few meaningful rituals for marking manhood—and while driver’s licenses,
continued education, voting, drinking, marriage, and employment mark
transitions, there is a lack of passage coherency. This is likely the result of the American
culture—which is really a ‘melting pot’ of many different cultures. With isolated tribes, a passage rite may have
a very particular procedure, and has been maintained for years within that
society. But with the constant blending
of cultures and ideas in America, the ‘manhood’ passage experience differs on a
familial basis. And while Kimmel (2006) outlines
many well-respected and desired qualities of the American man, he is careful to
note that these qualities are ‘static.’
As American culture continues to change and becomes increasingly more
diverse, different norms may foster the support of different ‘manly’
characteristics. Surely, this process
has already begun—with increasing national support to homosexual peoples. Hate crimes versus gay peoples have been
heavily denounced by society, and most states are moving toward the
legalization of gay marriage. Athletes
who mutter gay slurs are fined despite their great physical strength and
manhood (even Kobe Bryant, the epitome of an NBA star, couldn’t get away with
his anti-gay comments). This will undoubtedly
complicate the perception of the American man in the future—perhaps a US ‘man’
is still a breadwinner and individually motivated for their family, but the
context of their family or spouse will be less relevant.
Bibliography
Foster, Steven. 1987.
“Passage into Manhood: A modern ritual for young men.” Gender
16 (Spring). 50. http://www.context.org/iclib/ic16/foster/
Joyce, Thomas. 2011. “A Nation of Employees: The Rise of Corporations and
the Perceived Crisis of Masculinity in the 1950s.” The Graduate History Review. 3(1): 24-26. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.uvic.ca%2Findex.php%2Fghr%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F5998%2F2720&ei=mzZ-VP2ZMsKWyASIvIGIDg&usg=AFQjCNEG0BJ8qQ0H0rzD5GWhK06wu6Hs8A&sig2=EHRoF-2YfsKZNgQODp7-7A&bvm=bv.80642063,d.aWw
Kimmel, Michael S.
2006. “Manhood in America: A
Cultural History.” Oxford University
Press. 173-191. http://www.homeworkmarket.com/sites/default/files/q2/03/04/kimmel__the_masculine_mystique.pdf
Kimmel,
Michael S. 1994. “Masculinity as
Homophobia: Fear, Shame and Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity.” Theorizing Masculinity. 92. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9I7ExPk-920C&oi=fnd&pg=PA81&dq=Masculinity+as+Homophobia:+Fear,+Shame+and+Silence+in+the+Construction+of+Gender+Identity,”&ots=r8Tz7kUDEU&sig=gehHL0fY6SIstlVlt_IulKZkOTw#v=onepage&q=sissy&f=false
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