Hermes sent in a link to a feature in The Morning News titled “Men at Their Most Masculine,” in which men were asked about what made them feel masculine and photographed in situations that reflect their masculine identities. Some quotes from men included in the project:
“I feel masculine when I am home, I can take care of myself. I often feel emasculated when I leave my apartment though, with everyone asking me if I need help. I don’t need any help.”
“To be masculine is to dominate in one’s field of study.”
“I want to show that, despite stereotypes, gay men can be masculine too.”
“I feel most masculine when I am lying in bed naked.”
“I am strong emotionally, have always stood up for myself, and fear nothing. I happen to be physically strong but that isn’t where I derive my masculinity.”
“I am masculine because I abandon women after taking their love. Because when you study Freud, you don’t let him study you. Because I study philosophy, not literature.”
Visit at photographer Chad States’s website. He apparently found all of the featured men via craigslist.
The photos and quotes illustrate some interesting contradictions in definitions of masculinity. Several of the men define masculinity in fairly traditional terms, using words like “dominate” or expressing masculinity as the ability to use women and then leave them. There is also an emphasis on being independent and not needing help from anyone else.
In other cases, the men redefine masculinity to at least some extent, such as the gay man who reclaims masculinity for gays, the guy who focuses on being emotionally strong, and the man shown posed in a way we’re more used to seeing with women.
It’s an interesting look at some of the ways men define masculinity at a time when we expect men to be more emotionally available and involved in family life (as opposed to the 1950s emotionally closed-off model) but provide mixed signals by also still judging men harshly if they seem too emotional or don’t meet ideals of what “real” men should be like.
Gwen Sharp is an associate professor of sociology at Nevada State College. You can follow her on Twitter at @gwensharpnv.
Comments 40
Cute Bruiser — October 18, 2009
I'm curious if you noticed the trans man in the collection? Their prescence and inclusion is an important point as far as the redefining of masculinity is concerned.
Uncontrol — October 18, 2009
wanna punch that last dude
rachel — October 18, 2009
This is all very cool. It seemed to me, when I went through all of them, I was surprised at how not obnoxious most of their statements were, (although there are a few, such as the last guy in the post here.) I also think this is a beautiful set of pictures. I'm especially drawn to the one of the man on the bed here, and not really for any deep sociological reason; i just think he's beautiful.
citizenparables — October 18, 2009
Saddest thing to me was there was no image of a man with a child, or with any reference to fatherhood.
Personally, I never feel more masculine (or more myself, in fact) than when I'm spending time with my son. Most fathers I know feel similarly.
Michael Stevens — October 18, 2009
Fascinating photos and comments. And a site worth bookmarking, thanks.
Graves — October 18, 2009
I think people will move forward once they look past the gender play and understand these characteristics as human qualities, not masculine or feminine ones. We're learning not to attribute qualities to race anymore - why sex? I feel like it's an old ploy to keep people half-formed so they seek a partner. Perhaps the androgyny of youth is pushing the marriageable age back from it's 1950's low when gender roles were most 'traditional' (see thread above).
Rebecca — October 19, 2009
the photographer included himself in the list (2nd photo from the entire collection on his website), which is especially interesting.
kudos, a fantastic piece.
Fangirl — October 19, 2009
I think it's interesting that independence and the ability to care for oneself are things that make some men feel masculine. I don't feel masculine when I'm able to be independent and take care of myself; at first I was thinking I feel generally "grown up," not a gendered thing, but then I thought about it and I think I feel feminine when I'm able to care for myself: look, I am capable of cooking, cleaning, buying groceries, getting up and to school in the morning (an hour commute) without help from my mother [to clarify why not from my father, he passed away in 2004] and am therefore approaching "woman" (instead of "girl").
I think it's interesting that we've both taken the same thing - independence - and gendered it to our own genders. I wonder what specific things they check off the list (like I said cooking, cleaning, &c.) that make them feel masculine when they're able to do them on their own?
Hermes — October 19, 2009
Thanks for posting, Gwen! There are some great comments here.
Also notice that no one is really smiling, or looking happy, or demonstrating much of any kind of emotion really. If anything a couple of them look slightly sad.
Mac Mintaka — October 19, 2009
I see that you put the gay men after the jump, in with the Not Safe For Work folks, even though the first one was just wearing a swimsuit. I think we need to pay attention to the tendency to lump GBLT people in with those by whom people might be offended. I'm not assuming you were doing that but it might look that way.
Tiago — October 19, 2009
“I am masculine because I abandon women after taking their love. Because when you study Freud, you don’t let him study you. Because I study philosophy, not literature.” In my opinion this sort of "masculinity" is so self-defeating, because his insecurities are so out there for everyone to see, and he even misguidedly embraces them and seems to think they're a point of pride... how masculine can that be, in real life? Surely he doesn't "let" Freud study him because he's got that much stuff to hide from himself... And then abandoning women after taking their love? I don't know what to say about that, but it definitely doesn't sound like a good relationship with his own sexual expression. But that's all just me...
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mary t — October 20, 2009
The most appealing to me of the whole series was the guy on the steps renovating his house. Probably because he reminds me of my husband. : ) The least appealing by far was Luke -- I find it funny that the photo makes him look so very unappealing -- at least to me -- even before I read the quote that seals the deal.
Tiffany — October 20, 2009
"I am masculine because I abandon women after taking their love."
Abandoning women after taking their love doesn't make someone masculine, it makes them an ass.
BG — October 21, 2009
Some of the men in the series had difficulty defining their masculinity: it was just something that WAS. I think this makes a good point about the social construction of gender roles and how they really don't mean anything.
One of the men defined himself as masculine based on not feeling like a woman, again showing that masculinity is more something that gains its substance from being unfeminine. Not that he was thinking in that way.
It was certainly an interesting series.
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Ike — December 7, 2009
The first guy who talks about taking care of himself at home and not wanting help is blind, by the way. You can tell in the larger version of the image on the host site.