Masculinity

Being an only child, I’ve sort of had to function as both a daughter and a son. On one hand, I would have my mom buying me dresses and putting all sorts of weird things into my hair, and on the other, I would have my dad taking me fishing and hiking. As a result, I’ve never liked the idea of masculinity/femininity/hermaphroditism. I think that as people within a certain culture have different personalities, so do people within the two-and-a-half genders.

It’s undeniable, nonetheless, that there are standards outlined by society for masculinity. In high school, I’d sometimes be confused for a guy (I’d be called man, bro, and – the one that really caught me off guard – sir), so I have a vague idea on the matter. I think that men are expected to dress in a casual and simple manner: a baggy pair of jeans/shorts, a random t-shirt, gym shoes/sandals, and short hair (if it’s long, it’s either loose or tied back in a ponytail). Since they don’t go well with the casual image, accessorizing and makeup are also not a part of the masculine image. Other things that are considered to be masculine are work, politics, sports, the outdoors, technology, cars... It basically seems that things that are in some way substantial, and not superfluous, are considered masculine. I think that society expects men to likewise be substantial, and not superfluous, in their character. Although masculinity may be defined differently from culture to culture, I think this basic aspect remains in all cultures.