Defining Masculinity

Masculinity is created in many ways and how it is shown varies through each culture. In the general American culture the road to masculinity is paved for the males immediately after birth with the color blue. Into childhood little boys are encouraged to rough-house; play with guns and action figures and not to cry. A firm step into the creation of masculinity in America is the playing of sports. Sometimes it serves for a father a son to bond and it also can train the boy to endure pain and make him capable to build up a tolerance. Masculinity in other cultures can be proved through various rituals; in the practice of Judaism there is a Bar Mitzvah. This is the coming of age ceremony for the Jewish boy, when he has reached the age of thirteen. It is said that the ceremony marks a time when they will be responsible for their own actions. Another coming of age ritual is actually one that I participated in. It is called the Beautillion; it serves as a rites of passage program for African American juniors and seniors in high school. The beautillion’s purpose was to teach the young men to cooperate with each other and also make them better “gentlemen”. It taught us various things that men should and how respectable men should act. Masculinity is merely described by one’s culture, values and surroundings; whether it be hunting regularly to growing a full beard, masculinity cannot be described by one thing.