vanity men.doc

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INTRODUCTION

Looking through an evolutionary perspective, male vanity serves a biological

purpose.

Firstly, by being vain, men attempt to look good in order to feel good about

themselves. If they like what they see in the mirror, then they feel more confident to

swag and strut themselves around women and vie for the status of "alpha male" around

guys of a lower caste.

Secondly, by being vain, men attempt to look good in order to attract women.

Because the more women swarm around them, the more opportunities there are for

procreation to take place, thus ensuring the continued propagation of the human

species.

lthough vanity is biologically wired into the male system, the standards for "male

attractiveness" is what differs across time and cultures. In the redneck culture for

instance, male attractiveness might mean a bearded face, rough skin, pungent body

odor, and soil!blackened toenails.

For today s metrose#uals however, male attractiveness refers to an androgynous

appearance wherein males attempt to look more "male pretty" than "macho handsome."

$ne factor that reinforces metrose#ual vanity is, of course, media. %hrough media, the

cosmetic industry preys on the insecurities of men and influences men on how they

should look. &edia manipulates males to become narcissistically obsessed with their

looks. &ale vanity will always be here to stay.


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CONTEXTS AND LITERATURE

%he social construction of masculinities e#plains that gender and role

e#pectations are related to the environment in which we grow up, as well as how live

our lives within a social conte#t. It also emphasi'es the influence of social interactions

and cultural norms in shaping masculine behaviours and role e#pectations. In other

words, meanings of masculinity are created, modified and put into action by individuals

during the process of social interaction. key assumption here is that masculinity is not

a fi#ed entity, there being no singular standard for this concept. %he Social construction

of masculinities is also concerned with the traditional patterns of gender sociali'ation,

which result in producing masculinities according to societal norms.

nother theoretical approach that e#plores the connections between individuals(

se#uality and gender behaviours in a social conte#t is called )Se#ual Script %heory(.

Based on se#ual script theory, se#uality is shaped through e#periences, and meanings

are developed through social encounters within a historical period. *ender scripts are

culturally learned ways of thinking and behaving that men and women associate with to

e#press their manliness and womanliness. Scripts need to be analy'ed from three

dimensions+ intra!psychic scenarios, interpersonal scenarios and cultural scenarios.

%his analysis provides an understanding of the process of script development amongst

people, by deconstructing script development into reinforcement, modelling, rehearsal

and symboli'ation.


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In this study, both social construction of masculinities and se#ual scripts theory

provided a conceptual framework for e#ploring the masculine conceptuali'ation among

university men.

onstruction of gender within the society creates different patterns of e#pectation

for both men and women, which lead to different behaviors and risks. &asculinity

-manhood is defined as a set of characteristics, /ualities or roles that are generally

attributed to men. 0erception of &asculinity plays an important role in men(s lifestyles

and health behaviors. lthough the importance of masculinity in men(s health has been

widely discussed in the literature, little is known about the attributes of masculinity, and

men(s perception of the importance of these attributes in their life. ccording to the

traditional masculinity ideology, manliness is reflected through being able to take care of

oneself1 being tough, strong and healthy1 emphasis on competition1 devaluation of

women1 hatred of homose#uals1 engaging in violent and risk taking behaviors1 and

adopting poor help!seeking behaviors. 2hereas, according to the )gender role strain

paradigm(, masculinity is not a fi#ed entity and there is no single standard for this

concept. In other words, this paradigm considers masculinity )ideologies( rather than

masculinity )ideology(. 3ence, the ideal traits of masculinity are constructed differently

for men in different social classes, ethnic groups, regional cultures and life stages.

*ender norms are powerfully affected by the society and culture, and therefore, socio!

cultural changes influence people(s understanding of roles in personal, interpersonal,

and social conte#ts.

Studies show that the transformation process is predominant among young

people and leads them to create their own se#ual subcultures. s a result, young people


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create discourses about se#uality and gender that often differ from the older traditional

norms. 2hile much of the research draws attention to the ways in which globali'ation

and e#posure to various communicative networks are central in influencing or

transforming the culture of se#uality, it is important to investigate how young people

define their se#uality and gender roles.

In 2estern post!industrial societies, young men are still confused about what

manhood means to them. For e#ample, in the past, Irish young men were designated

the role of protector or defender of their community against foreign invasion, but in the

after!peace community these masculine roles have been devalued and critici'ed as

being aggressive or violent behaviors. Such changes in the social and cultural conte#ts

have placed young men in a transitional and parado#ical position without providing them

with e/uipments to cope with the changes. nother study regarding the understanding

of masculinity in 4ngland showed that young boys were under presure for taking

normative gender roles to be recogni'ed as 5too much6 masculine by not e#pressing the

feelings and not seeking for help, whereas being 5not enough6 masculine resulted in

5isolation and re7ection from others, such as peer groups6.

3igher educated men may construct the concept of masculinity differently. s

recently, much scholarly attention has been given to behavioral trends and

understanding of masculinity in higher education. In a study published by 8ohns

3opkins 9niversity, college men e/uated masculinity with 5being confident6, 5being

respected6, 5assuming responsibility6 and 5embodying prowess6. ccording to this study,

men come to college while having been sociali'ed to take traditional masculinity norms,


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but college e#perience with its diversity and e#posure to different cultures makes them

liberali'e and motivates them to change their masculinity ideology.

:eveloping countries such as 0hilippines are facing socio!cultural changes.

%hese changes have affected daily life and values of people, especially younger ones,

by influencing their perception of gender roles male;female interactions and risk taking

behaviors. n sian study which e#plored the important masculinity traits among more

than orea, 8apan and %aiwan showed that the

perception of masculine traits was different between countries. For instance, having a

good 7ob was seen as the most important in 0hilippines, but being a family man, having

lots of money, being a man of honor, and being in control were the most important

masculine traits in >orea, hina, 8apan and %aiwan respectively. nother study on

younger population in 0hilippines revealed that the notion of )new man( was popular

among young respondents. ?ew man, as opposed to the traditional model, is identified

as a slim, nude and groomed man, who takes care of his clothes and his fashion

commodities.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD

FINDINGS

From the data collected several concepts emerged that reflected the meanings of

masculinity from the participants( view points. %hese included+ 53aving a good body

shape6, 5being respected6, 5having success with women6, 5being a family man6 and

5having financial independence6. Some of the concepts such as 5having a good body


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shape6 and 5having success with women6 were perceived as being the current

re/uirements of masculinity, whereas 5being a family man6 and 5having economic

power6 reflected future masculine roles as perceived by the participants.

3aving a good body shape ! the concept of having a fit and muscular body was a

clear indicator of a manly appearance among the participants, which was associated

with the notions of strength and power+

5%o me a true man has the traits of the real man, must be muscular, his body is

muscular so he must be strong. 3e has to have body shape, like muscle, and he is

supposed to do rough sports, so that(s a man to me.6 @A!year!old.

s the interviews continued, 5ambiguity codes6 were gradually incorporated into

the concepts of masculinity. ccording to the respondents, having a muscular body is

more about obtaining a pleasing atheistic appearance, in line with the body form

favoured by fashion models and celebrities as seen in maga'ines and on television+

5%he new masculine men are more feminine men that you can see in people in

the media like 8ustine Bieber anadian teen pop musician, singer and actor or the

>orean boy bands. nd, right now, nerds are actually becoming the new masculine

man. %hey are more prone to appear on %C compared to macho men anymore, I like

them as a role model.6 @D!year!old

5Basically, appearance!wise and all thatE muscular and good shape, like what

you can see in fashion maga'ines.6 @ !year!old


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%hey also related a man(s body shape to the meaning of masculinity as a means

through which they were able to attract women with the intention of forming

heterose#ual relationships, as one @D!year!old man stated+

5&asculinity means how to show your macho!nessEpeacock styleE a man

presents himself by his body, his masculinity must be presented to attract womenE a fit

body shape attracts more.6

$verall, the research clearly shows that young men(s perception of an ideal body

image is changing from the traditional muscular man to a more aesthetic body, as

heavily influenced by the media and the resulting life styles that become popular among

young modern men.

Being -becoming a family man ! another theme emerged from the data which

implied that some ideas of masculinity are tied to concepts such as familial

responsibilities and leadership.

5See in our lives, it all ends with a household. &eaning we will have a wife and

kids. So the responsibility can be said to be


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gained from their parents( roles, especially the father(s role. &uslim and hristian men

more fre/uently referred to religious thoughts in their responses+

5?ormally in hristian families, man is the leader. So, when it comes to a man, if

you are right, you make a decision. ou are not dependent to anyone. ou can stand on

your own. ou earn money and provide for family. I suppose a woman could have

earned money for family too but, I assume that the breadwinner is more a masculine

role.6 @A!year!old

)Becoming a good father( was a concept that seemed to be most heavily

influenced by those with religious thoughts. s a &uslim man stated+

5I think being a good father is very important, as Islam has encouraged us, we

are responsible to raise righteous children. ?o matter how much you have earned in

your life, if you are terrible in becoming a father, I think you basically failE fail in terms

of family.6 @H!year!old

3aving success with women ! this theme was associated with the meanings of

masculinity in the conte#t of a heterose#ual relationship. )*entleman( was the term most

fre/uently used to portray a man with social grace, who as a result en7oys successful

relationships with women.

5 ou should balance both the macho man and the gentler side of the modern

man. ou should be polite and sociali'ed. %his is the social image of man that people

accept these days.6 @H!year!$ld


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3aving a 5gentle character6 and being able to maintain a 5caring and

communicative relationship6 with women was also emphasi'ed by the respondents.

5&ost girls don(t really think macho men are that cool anymore. %hey prefer the

more slender, feminine men who are gentle and could listen to them and take care of

them.6 @@!year!old

s a group of heterose#ual men, the potential for relationships with women were

central to their understanding of masculine identities. Success with women was

considered as being a harmonic and respectful relationship with partners, by which the

participants meant something more than a purely se#ual arrangement. In this regard,

they associated masculinity with a combination of stereotypical norms -such as taking

initiative and mastering the romantic relationship and non!stereotypical norms -such as

being communicative, gentle and listening .

Being respected ! according to the respondents, a man 5must know how to carry

himself in the public to earn the respect of the other men6. %hey linked the concept of

5being respected6 with 5achievements6 and 5uni/ueness6 of a man in his life. s a @ !

year!old man stated+

52hen it comes to the guys, when they talk about their activity, they(ll be like

congratulating them and all thatE being proud of his levelEhe must think of a novel

idea, he(ll be like wondering, being someone that supposed to beE it brings respect

and confidence, meaning you stand up for yourself.6


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0articipants tended to prioriti'e this concept over other meanings of

masculinities, such as having a good body shape. s a @J!year!old hinese man

emphasi'ed+

5Kespect is the most important thing if you ask about the meaning of masculinity

to me. 8ust by having a good shape, but if you do not know how to talk to others, if you

do not know how to carry yourself in the public, people don(t respect you.6

Kespondents linked the idea of being respected with their social status at the

university. Being respected in terms of a university conte#t was defined as having

academic achievements, as well as being involved in campus activities and social

events, especially when 5taking leadership6.

5I study very hard, and I try to take some responsibilities in the campus, for

e#ample, I was the president of cultural night ceremony last year and I am going to do it

againE doing such things make you popular in the campus, people look at you as a

leader, as a bossE they have respect for you, they say ohh look at this manE he is

doing a big 7ob.6 @@!year!old

3aving financial independence ! respondents believed that 5money matters in

today(s life6, that it brings 5power6 and 5confidence6 to them. %hey mentioned that a

5financially independent man6 is more attractive to women, more capable of supporting

his family and seen as being more focused on his life.

5 ou know, becoming a confident man cannot be happened without having

money. $f course, money is very importantE to feel proud and independent, to focus


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on your goals and to en7oy your lifeE the higher income you have the more girls come

around laughing .6 @@!year!old

s university students, they considered their fields of study as being an important

factor in helping them to obtain the best paying 7obs.

54ngineering is one of the best paying 7obs in 0hilippines, that(s why I chose it.

3ere is a private university and I have to spend lots of money to graduateE it is like

investment for my future, when I imagine myself as an engineer in a best paying

company I feel assured and confident. It guarantees my future.6 @A!year!old hinese

&edical students also mentioned their future career potential in terms of winning

one of the better paying 7obs, which would help secure their 5economic power6 and

place in a 5higher social class6. 9niversally, the participants believed that financial

independence is an important marker of true masculinity.

DISCUSSION

Since more than H= percent of Filipino population is young and the number of

students in higher education has increased during the last decade, young men are

e#periencing more intermingling with other cultures and life styles that affect their

understanding of masculinity and gender roles. 3owever, the research on masculinity

concept is scarce in 0hilippines, especially among young men. %here was no published

data on the understanding of masculinity among young university men in 0hilippines

prior to this research. In response to this knowledge gap, the present /ualitative

research aimed to e#plore the shared masculinity conceptuali'ations among university


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vanity men.doc