Every guy when they’re growing up has had someone tell them to “step up and be a man,” or “stop whining and be a man.” Yet, few of us ever bother to stop and ask ourselves what does it really mean to be a man? In the documentary film Tough Guise, through testimonials and achieve footage of films and television, creator and commentator Jackson Katz shows the viewer the social constructions of masculine culture (particularly in western civilization) and how being a “man” comes with much conflict and consequences.
Tough Guise stands as one of the best films to use continues examples and evidence to support ones theory. The film surveys men and what they think makes a man, as well as calling upon the image of men in media, specifically, how men are often over-masculine and muscular, and tend to lack emotions that one would attribute as feminine. The film also examines crime data and compares it to the gender that commits the crime the most. Overwhelmingly, violent crimes are mainly committed and targeted towards other men; such crimes include murder and assault, as well as crimes involving weapons or firearms.
Overall, what Tough Guise teaches the viewer is that we have created harsh social constructions about what it means to be a man, it means not being a woman. When we compare the roles and rules society sets for men and women, we find just how polarizing the are; men need to be hulky and buff while women need to be small and petite, men need to keep their emotions inside (or not have any) while women are told to express how they are feeling, and at an early age boys are subjected to a violent culture while women are subjected to feminine “flowery” one.
As stated previously this masculine role or “tough guise” that men put on comes with difficult consequences. James Gilligan’s article Shame, Guilt, and Violence explains that when a male fails to meet the gender role society has placed for him, he is usually identified by others (and himself) as a “pussy” or “bitch” or “fag.” These are terms that share a relationship with the female gender roles of society. This creates a sense of shame for a male, which also is considered an emotion of weakness for a male. Because of being socially and emotionally labeled female, a male (could) act out in violence, because the social constructions and media have shown that this is how men deal with their problems. By practicing violence, one hopes to regain the label of being “a real man.”
The points that I, along with other students, found most convincing was how the social constructions of gender behavior exist within the media we all consume. For example, throughout time the idea of being a masculine or powerful man has GROWN rapidly. Not only are our heroes now buffer and well defined, our children’s toys have also increased in definition. Also, the way crimes are reported today, the media only makes a big deal out of murders or rapes when women are committing these crimes against someone else, especially a man. Once again, there are is almost nothing about this film that does not have credibility when we discuss the issue of gender roles and equality.
It is clear that these social constructions about being over-masculine have a directed correlation with violence in society. It is important to remember that when we discuss violence and violent crimes, it IS in fact a male issue. I think an interesting study would be to find men who have grown up in a more feminine environment and survey and study the crime rates for these males. We often think that all men will snap and fight when their testosterone gets to high. But I doubt it is true for men who have learned to discuss and deal with their emotions in a healthy way.
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