No Pain!

Men are often expected to show no signs of weakness...a mere grimace from pain after taking a bullet in the arm is all that is acceptable. Recently, I watched Black Dog on TV, staring Patrick Swayze. The particular scene that seemed to scream MASCULINITY! to me took place on the back of a Semi-truck speeding down the highway. Patrick is fighting another guy in the space between the cab of the truck and the trailer, meanwhile, Meatloaf was driving next to them shooting a revolver in their direction. Patrick grimaced a little, but kept fighting as if he felt nothing. Later, after that battle had settled, Patrick was scene on the side of the road pouring gunpowder in his wound and then lighting it to coderize his gaping bullet wound. Did he cry out in pain? Of course not, that wouldn't be very masculine for a hero to do.

This is an excellent example of how pain perceived from a masculine point of view. To show pain is to show weakness. Men are expected to always be strong. In order to be viewed as strong, a man can not show weakness, thus can not reveal his pain. This idea is confirmed in society from the time we are little boys. Often, little boys are told to "suck it up" if they get hurt, while the little girl is consoled. This tells us that it is not ok if a boy shows pain, but needs to be tough enough to keep going. I can remember getting in trouble if I fell and hurt myself when I was a boy. My dad, who was also a Marine, would say, "you messed up, now get up." Then he would call me a scuzzy maggot and I would give him a hug and tell him I love him too and go on playing, showing off my newly aquired battle wounds.

This type of behavior can be seen in many aspects of our lives and is especially prevalent in action movies. The hero must appear invulnerable to his enemy or he might reveal a weakness that could lead to his defeat. As a young boy, watching this type of mindset on TV implants the idea that "I can not show weakness either if I want to be great"...and people usually want to be great.

Augmentational embarrassment

In an episode of House, a female patient, who is trying to fly for NASA, is faced with a dilemma: choosing between her life or her dream. It is revealed that this patient has either lung cancer or a genetic disease that causes the growth of cysts in her lungs. Because of the program she is trying to get in at NASA, she cannot reveal any kind of medical implication that might disqualify her from achieving her dream of flying in outer space. If she were to allow Dr. House to operate on her lungs, scars would be left behind that could possibly disqualify her. In an attempt to accommodate her dreams and still save her life, it is suggested that she have breast augmentation to act as an innocent explanation to the nature of her scars. She is reluctant to agree to the procedure because she fears she would not be taken seriously if she had breast implants. This is a very powerful statement about the image of women in the professional world.

Can women who have had breast augmentation be taken seriously in an array of professions? This is something I have not considered, or payed any attention to, in a long time because nowadays breast augmentation is more common and more widely accepted. For this patient to fear being taken less seriously brings to light a possible stereotype still associated with breast implants--but what exactly is the stereotype? Is it the "bimbo" title? I think in the past, women who had breast implants were usually those that were in the "entertainment industry" and that connection was carried over to the average woman who wanted to improve their appearance. Overtime, that negative connotation has been replaced with acceptance on the larger scale.

Women can be taken seriously even though they have augmentation. One of the doctors explained it in a way that made the patient feel better about the decision. He explained that he'd known great people who were able to achieve their greatness because they were unafraid of being laughed at.

Rock of Love

Rock of Love is a TV show on VH1 about a group of girls that are competing for the affection of a rock star, Brett Michaels. These girls are put through a series of challenges that could be viewed as degrading to females. What does this say about femininity? This show implies that girls will stoop to any level in order to gain the attention of a rock star. Is it for love, lust, or popularity? I think this show portrays women who have low self-respect in acts of desperation to find a man that can instantly elevate their status in life.

In one scene, the women are playing "Mudbowl"--tackle football in the middle of a gigantic puddle of mud. Playing in front of an audience of men, these women are seen exposing each other to try to embarrass each other. This is obviously for the viewing pleasure of the guys watching and is another example of the extremes some women will go through just to be noticed.

Another scene shows the MVP of the mudbowl on a date with Brett. They appear to be enjoying each other's company, but both acknowledge the fact that they don'r really need to communicate with each other in order to enjoy each other's company. Instead, they turn to the physical nature of the relationship. Brett even suggests they just start making out in the living room and then work their way back to the bedroom. This type of relationship, in my opinion, is merely superficial and lacks the substance required for a long term relationship. Mindy, the MVP, changes from her date clothes into leopard print lingerie in an attempt to seduce Brett...on the first date! Here, we see the desperate measures this woman will go through in order to try to secure a position to the next challenge. What does this imply about females in general?

According to Rock of Love, women will go to any extreme to win a man that can elevate their social status. Whether or not these same women really act as they do on this show is impossible for the viewer to know, but while on the show, they seem to have no inhibitions.

Feminine ability to heal on Scrubs

Women are often revered as the care taker in society with an adept ability to tend to the sick and lame. In an episode of Scrubs, one of the female doctors is having a problem with patients not getting better, while her close male-friend doctor is easily curing patients. In a discussion during one of their breaks, he jokingly suggests that she just flash one of her patients who is having trouble healing. In a moment of desperation, she flashes the patient. The next day, when she went to check on him, she see's him walking out, as if never sick. She attributes his sudden recovery to her "magical breasts" and starts flashing all of her patients in an attempt to heal them.

Why would she all of the sudden start believing that by showing her breasts to ill men, they will suddenly make a recovery? Could this be an example of a generalization that all men need is simply sexual? I think this episode demonstrates, in a humorous manner, how a woman would go to any length to take care of someone.

Violence for conflict resolution

Since the dawn of man, fighting has been a frequent method to handle conflicts between two individuals, groups of individuals, and entire nations. While watching the movie "Head of State" on TV, the two main characters, played by Bernie Mac and Chris Rock, get into an argument. Intended as a satirical spin on two brothers having an argument, Chris' character takes a cheap shot and punches his older brother, played by Bernie Mac. Bernie's character then procedes to teach his younger brother a lesson about debating while the two of them trade blows.

Often, when two people have a disagreement, the natural reaction is to become defensive or offensive verbally. This can then escalate to a physical confrontation between the two if allowed to get out of control. This physical act of conflict resolution is a masculine quality because it is predominant among the male gender. One could reason that this type of behavior stems back to a more primal instinct to be dominant. Fighting to resolve conflict is just that, establishing dominance to force the less dominant to accept your point of view.

Everybody Loves Raymond's masculine conflict against a feminine invasion

Everybody Loves Raymond is a TV show about everyday conflicts that can arise between a man and woman within a marriage. In this particular episode, Ray's wife, Debra, makes a gesture that Ray interprets as an invasion of her space. These two have been married for a long time and, as a result, a great deal of their communication is non-verbal. In a "knee-jerk" reaction to Debra's gesture, Ray decides to suggest that the bathroom become solely hers. Debra, seeing this as an opportunity to have a space completely hers, seizes the bathroom and immediately feminizes it with very feminine decorations. Feeling his manhood being challenged, Ray decides to claim a spot in the house to make his own territory--the basement.
In this episode, one can see a masculine approach to this situation where the male feels his territory is being challenged and is driven to establish his own space. Often, males are very territorial, which I believe to be a masculine quality. From the beginning of time, men have sought dominion over territory. So, when a man feels that his territory is being threatened, his pride is actually what is being threatened. From my experience and inferences, men often feel that the whole house is taken over by the woman, the wife. So, when Debra claimed the bathroom as well, Ray felt compelled to establish his own territory.