Question

What do you think of Kimmel's arguments about masculinity as homophobia? Can you think of a way or a time in which gender expectations influenced your own mental or physical well-being?

See Readings online:

http://www.suarakita.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/masculinity.pdf

Chapter 7: Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity

Michael S. Kimmel

In: Theorizing Masculinities

Edited by: Harry Brod & Michael Kaufman

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452243627.n7

Subject: Men's Studies

Answer 1

Kimmel states that greatest fear to every man who thinks themselves to be masculine is to be called 'sissy' by another man. They feel powerless with this notion of their manhood, and this makes them act to the norms of the patriarchal system, that to exhibit aggression and dominance over others and especially to their female counterparts. That is powerlessness makes them act "powerful". This hinders their healthy and proper socialization with their group, most of the time all they do is exhibiting their masculinity. This argument of Kimmel is true to a large extent, to men, the greatest challenge lies in proving their manhood, and in the lives of those men who are adhered to this narrow concept of masculinity, life revolves around the masculinity and waste their life in homophobia, in the fear to be called "sissy".

Belonging to southern Asian family and culture, that clearly defines the male and female gender differences and strictly directs to follow the cultural norms regarding gender role, I followed and expected this narrow version of manhood from all men around me.Whenever I saw men or met who were different from my gender expectations of masculinity I considered them to have female tendencies and devalued their humanity. This image of masculinity was broken when had a chance to interact with a man who was not masculine as I expected but is a very good human being, and knew his path of struggle due to his different masculine identity.