Interesting Read

I enjoyed reading this posting and would like to point out that there are a lot of things to consider when analyzing this particular topic of masculinity. While I believe that the social representation of masculinity in media outlets such as film may contribute on some level to how men in society should or do act, it would be foolish to disregard the biological influences that contribute to such behaviors or representations. Masculinity and femininity are both very important traits of humans and a balanced mixture of both on different levels in men and women is an optimal solution. The suppression of either trait is unhealthy for the development of the individual as well as society because it contradicts our biological constructs. Males and females have different levels of different hormones that contribute to the development of different traits inherent to each sex. For example, the fact that more females are likely to attempt suicide than males, but more males are likely to succeed in such an endeavor is a representation of the higher levels of masculinity in males (on average) that contributes to higher levels on aggression. This can hardly be attributed to the social constructs of masculinity represented in the media. I do agree that media outlets do play a role and contribute to the image of masculinity that society portrays, however it is important not to overlook the contributions of other factors.