Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by The Rock. He is an American-Canadian actor, producer, investor and retired Pro wrestler.Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known as one of Hollywood’s tough guys and top earners, but the former wrestler-turned-actor recently shed light on his battle with depression over the years.The former Calgary Stampeders football player revealed that his depression reached its peak years later when a series of injuries led to him being cut by the CFL. Not long after, Johnson’s girlfriend left him. “That was my absolute worst time,” Johnson said. “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.”

Johnson made his WWF debut in 1996, fighting under the shared moniker of his father and grandfather’s names, “Rocky Maivia.” As fate would have it, he would square off against the Brooklyn Brawler who was also the first opponent of his father at a Superstars taping in Corpus Christi, Texas.The Rock dominated wrestling coverage and story lines for the better part of a decade finding the charismatic pugilist holding the WWF/WWE championship belt eight-times during that stretch. But Johnson wanted something more; a chance at Hollywood stardom.

He rose to prominence after developing a charismatic persona of a boastful trash-talking wrestler named The Rock. Johnson had his first acting role in The Mummy Returns (2001), and played his first lead role in the spin-off The Scorpion King (2002) and many more.His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide, making Johnson one of the most successful and highest-grossing box-office stars of all time.

Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_Johnson

If Antifemininity can be described as a lack or a rejection of the feminine needs and interests, this man is the complete opposite of what an antifeminist. The man on the picture is Denis Mukwege, a congolese gynecologist, born in 1964. He specialised himself in the treatment of women victims of rape by the armed rebels. He is the opposite of the stereotypical man that feels superior than women. In an era where many societies tolerate rape culture, Denis decided to do something against the problem. His actions are even more commendable because he operates in one of the most deprived area of the world.

In the article of we read, Antifemininity translates in a need to avoid profession considered as feminine. And for many, gynecologist is considered as a feminine job since it is directly related to women. Antifemininity is also not caring for women’s needs because it could makes man look feminine or even gay.

In conclusion, I consider Dr. Denis Mukwege a perfect counter-example of antifemininity. He didn’t gave importance to stereotypes and clichés and did what he think was good no matter what people said. He decided to help women and understood their needs.

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Mukwege

https://www.panzifoundation.org/dr-denis-mukwege/

Qualities

Stoick Haddock, more commonly known as Stoick the Vast, is the chief captain of the village in the How to train your dragon movie series. He is a big, strong Viking who feels a large sense of responsibility to the village of Berk and keeping it safe from dragons. Even if he is strong, very brave and protective towards his fellow Vikings, he has many flaws that can’t be overseen. Firstly, he is very stubborn and closed-minded. He feels that everything must be done his way and everyone must think like him. This can mostly be seen by his relationship with his son, who is friends with a dragon. Because of this relationship between the dragon and the boy, he sees his son as weak and “not a real Viking”. He doesn’t care about the boy’s feelings and won’t listen to his point of view. Secondly, as his name implies, he is quite stoic. He doesn’t want people to see him weak or sad. Instead, he gets angry and does something without listening to others to seem more manly. Thirdly and lastly, going on the last point, Stoick does not know how to act emotionally. He often says mean and detrimental things without knowing the harm it can do to others. That being said, he evolves and gets much better in all of these areas as the movie and TV series advance.

We found that this fictional character’s habits correlate well with Kimmel’s definition of masculinity in the section of inexpressiveness and independence. This characteristic of masculinity states that men should show no sign of weakness. Stoick never shows the side of him that can be weak or hurt. He never shows any sadness or physical weakness. Instead, he gets mad and displays his strength to look strong and manly. As said in Kimmel’s book, men have “strength of belief, dedication (to a cause) or stubbornness.” Stoick the Vast is very stubborn and close-minded, which fits perfectly with the description. Especially at the beginning of the movie series, he is the typical Viking who won’t take advice from anybody and would rather fight than try to debate and listen to others. He also will not listen to his son, who has a different view on dragons than him. This makes him hard-shelled and stubborn.

Bibliography:

https://howtotrainyourdragon.fandom.com/wiki/Stoick_the_Vast_(Franchise)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Train_Your_Dragon_(film)

The theme of masculinity that was assigned to me was Status & Achievement. This theme is represented by men who always win, who succeed in everything in every field (women, money, family, etc).  It’s represented by men who think everything is a competition, and don’t ever do something only for their good. Gandhi is the opposite of all of that, and that’s why he is the person I chose.

Mohanas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer. He used non-violence to lead India’s Independence. He is born October 2, 1869 and he died January 30, 1948. Everything Gandhi did was for his country. He was not someone competitive, someone who wanted a lot of conquests, etc. He didn’t care about all of that, all he wanted was peace in his country! He is the absolute opposite of what men are ‘’supposed’’ to be, the opposite of what we can read in Status & Achievement. Gandhi was respected all over the world because he made a difference in the life of a country, and that’s why I chose him.

In conclusion, I chose Gandhi for this blog because like I said previously, he is the opposite of what I read in the theme of Status & Achievement. He is someone good, someone who does everything for himself and his country, he doesn’t care about the competition, conquests or even gaining other men’s respect.

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belvedere_MS/student_work/Gandhi/Why%20he%20is%20famous

https://www.livescience.com/2851-gandhi-changed-world.html

Shawn Mendes, also known under the name of Shawn Peter Raul Mendes is a Canadian singer. He is born on August 8, 1998. Despite his age, he is a talented artist. In 2013, he started sharing cover videos on various platforms. After a couple of month, his reputation skyrockets. At first, he decided to share his videos to pursue his passion. But later on, he got the opportunity to built his career with a professional company.

According to Kilmartin and Smiler’s textbook The Masculine Self, “Masculinity is characterized by a willingness to take (physical) risks and become violent if necessary.” Shawn Mendes is a good counter example because he is friendly and passionate. He is a singer that pursue his passion based on his own interest. Additionally, he will consider his fans perspectives because they are the ones that supported him from the beginning of his career. In an interview, he mentioned that “My goal isn’t to become an artist, but it is to become what my fans want me to become”. Apart from that, his music genres and styles are leaning towards “soothing love songs”. He expresses his feelings through the lyrics and through his voice. He is the opposite of what Kilmartin and Smiler’s definition of masculinity.

Relating to both the documentary and the textbook, on 2018, Shawn Mendes was criticized by his feminine behaviour:

“Mendes denied gay rumours, but they kept coming. Now he’s discussed the impact they had on him; in a Rolling Stone profile he said speculation made him obsessively police his own behaviour (“maybe I am a little more feminine – but that’s the way it is”), and it exacerbated his own internalised homophobia. “In my heart I know that [being gay is] not a bad thing,” he says.”

This is an interesting insight because in contrary with the documentary, even though he was being criticized by the society, he didn’t let it ruin him. He accepted himself and he didn’t let the rumours affect himself. On the other hand, he is a perfect counter example because he is the opposite of what the textbook defined as masculinity. He doesn’t show any signs of aggressiveness or violence.

In conclusion, I don’t think that there are specific qualities to define or characterize what’s a man. Everyone is different and unique in their own way. Therefore, I think that society should let go of this social norms and expectations on men.

Reference:

Hall, Jake. “Shawn Mendes Has a Point – We Need to Stop Policing Male Femininity.” I, 28 Nov. 2018, i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/gy7j5m/shawn-mendes-male-femininity-sexuality.

O’Flynn, Brian. “Claiming Shawn Mendes Is Queer Is an Own Goal for Gay Men | Brian O’Flynn.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 28 Nov. 2018, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/28/shawn-mendes-gay-queer-feminine-sexuality.

This is a great example of anti-femininity

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Jim Carrey has been a comedian, actor, writer, and artist since the 1980s. He is 58 years old and still very active with his roles and works. He rose to fame in the 1990s and has remained popular ever since. He is well known for his many comedic movie roles (i.e. The Mask, 1994 and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000). He defies the theme of status and achievement by not depending on his success in sports or his sexual conquests. Unlike several celebrities and actors who become famous by playing sports or being lucky with women, Jim Carrey made it to the top by being funny and genuine. He has earned the respect and admiration of all of his fans and everyone who has enjoyed his movies, all while staying true to his values and comedic acts.

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/actor/jim-carrey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Carrey

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs was the first gay man to advocate for gay rights. He did so during the mid-1800s in Germany. Ulrichs was attracted to clothing and activities traditionally deemed feminine from a young age (Karl Heinrich Ulrichs- Making Queer History, https://www.makingqueerhistory.com/articles/2018/3/13/karl-hinreich-ulrichs). In “Intro to Men’s Studies”, Christopher Kilmartin defines anti-femininity as the direct refusal to associate with tangible and intangible aspects of femininity such as clothing, emotions. The film “The Mask You Live In” suggests the idea that when men discriminate against gay people , they are in fact truly attacking women. Therefore, it can be argued, in my opinion that being an advocate for gay rights, especially when one is gay themselves, they are subverting anti-femininity. We live in a heteronormative society, meaning everyone is assumed to be straight. Therefore, the “default man” or the “traditional man” would certainly be, a straight man. In this regard, being a gay man is a subversion once again.

According to a study done by the University of Geneva, there is a positive correlation between feminine qualities in men and homophobia (The Feminization of Men Leads to an Increase in Homophobia, https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/udg-tfo012219.php). It is argued in this study that masculine traits were traditionally formed from being the opposites of feminine traits. Certain traits that are listed in the study as being seen as masculine are: a lack of emotional display, aggression, and homophobia. Homophobia is directly listed as a masculine trait. Professor Falomir of the University of Geneva said, “Homophobia is the alternative way of asserting [heterosexual men’s] masculinity. Thus, if, as they say, masculinity is seen as the opposite of femininity, then homosexuality, some might say the opposite of homophobia, could well be a trait considered part of femininity.

Ma Yun, also Jack Ma, is a Chinese business magnate and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. As of January 2020, Ma is China’s richest man, with a net worth of $44.3 billion, as well as one of the wealthiest people in the world, ranked 20th by Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes. He is considered as prominent business leader, and is frequently listed as one of the world’s most powerful people, with Forbes ranking him 21st on its “World’s Most Powerful People” list. He also serves as a role model for startup businesses.

While before he became a rich and successful business man, Ma was not so popular and grateful. It isn’t difficult to find Ma is not handsome at all, in some point of view he has a special appearance. And he experienced many obstacles. As Ma himself stated that he took four years to pass the Chinese entrance exams, he got rejected by Harvard Business School ten times, and he was even the only one job applicant who was rejected by KFC when there was twenty-four people went for job.

In my opinion, Jack Ma is a typical man who gain achievement and admiration by successful in his work. Now I believe people would hardly reject Jack Ma as a powerful billionaire. Just as Kilmartin intro to men studies said “men gain status by being successful in all that they do, especially in sports, work, and sexual ‘ conquest.’ Powerful men earn the respect and admiration of others.”

Bibliography

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ma