The Universal Definition of Masculinity

I believe that at the beginning of the world, God created both men and women. In each of these two types of human He instilled certain basic characteristics, whether they pertain to size, physical attributes, emotions, interests, behavior, or desires. Those that He instilled in men have become the mold that is generally referred to as masculinity, and those He instilled to women have been named femininity. These characteristics are the basics that come naturally to their respective genders.

It is plain to see that there is something in the male gender that has caused males to generally like certain things, dress certain ways, behave in certain ways, appreciate certain things, and desire certain things. Because the majority of males have these general things in common, this set of general “things” has stereotypically been labeled as masculinity. Therefore, society tends to define masculinity as what is typical of the male gender. This is the universal definition of masculinity. Generally, if a male does not abide according to this definition of masculinity, he is seen as odd or is altogether shunned.

Therefore, with masculinity being defined as what is typical of the male gender, there is one more variable that comes into play: location. In one country, what is typical of the male gender may be completely different or even the total opposite of what is typical of a male in another country. One culture may see swearing and using vulgar language as masculine, while another may view it as childish and a sign of weakness. Thus, in reality, the definition of masculinity varies simply because the trend of typical male behavior varies.