Michael Kimmel states that gender is a social construct whereas one is born with sex, for this is biological. Kimmel further indicates that gender is conditioned by one’s environment, and that it is a product of our daily interactions. Certain institutions propagate the classical view of masculinity that encompasses all or any of the characteristics that were written of in Blog 3. Man Enough Episode 4, #MeToo, refers to the entertainment business being a vehicle for the message of classical masculinity. As Scooter Braun says, “We glorify the idea of crossing the line. We’ve made it, you know, you come into the entertainment business, fast cars, fast women”. As he points out, this ideology is built upon the objectification of women, as items to obtain once one gets into the entertainment business. Furthermore, the institution of society and the justice system perpetuate the classical view of masculinity and the objectification of women. As Yazmin Watkins remarks, “I think the culture that we live in allows for this sort of behaviour and I don’t think people are supported when they do come forward “. Furthermore Susan Brison furthers this point when she tells how people did not believe that she had been attacked by a man, and thought instead that she was hit by a car, when she was in fact brutally attacked by a man.
Kimmel prefers to use the term ‘masculinities’ rather than singular ‘masculinity’ because he feels that there are different varieties of masculinity, thus the characteristics he outlines. In Man Enough Episode 4, #MeToo, Justin Baldoni indicates to Susan Brison that boys are taught to be the protector. This is indeed one characteristic of masculinity. Susan Brison argues that this is part of the problem because women should be taught to defend themselves instead of relying on men. All of the men at the table have had completely different experiences, they simply do not fit under the same umbrella of maculinity. Furthermore, Michael Kimmel claims that the only factor that remains constant in masculinities is anti-femininity, and masculinities can be of wide variety, changing across time periods, in a state of flux, as long as they include anti-femininity.
Lovers and Fighters | Section 22 