The episode shows two perfectly good examples of stereotypes in men and women. It shows that men can't doing anything feminine like knitting or doing makeup unless they want to be seen as feminine. Women are seen as them having to to be portrayed as feminine.
Another one would be men showing their emotions. For so long men have been taught to always suck it up. Being told don't cry its for babies, or don't be a wimp take it like a man. Shows like friends and in this particular episode like in the picture above showing your emotions is considered feminine and can take away a guys masculinity. Guys also will leave the inside work to women. Like doing laundry, cleaning inside, cooking, things that according to men are feminine. Men will stick to the outside work like repairs, cutting grass, things that can get a man dirty so he can say he was masculine.
It lets us
know what is considered only a women's thing like doing makeup and inside work.
This show is just one of many shows, movies, and even commercials that portray
the fact that if a man does anything feminine that his manhood is gone. With
that said then fathers take that and try to teach their kids to be socially
normal and so on and so forth. The media is a great source that really teaches
people stereotypes and the apparent social norm and that anyone who does
something different is abnormal to society.Masculinity is seen all over the media with men doing things like drinking beer, driving fast cars, play sports,watch sports games, anything that shows masculinity.
Masculinity seems to be most problems men do not only face with themselves, but what is also shown in the media. Friends seems to be one of the many shows that portray the question of “What does it take to be a true man?” What seems to be funny to me is the fact that one of the many producers named David Crane had written many different types of media. That includes many shows that conduct the big question of masculinity. Friends seems to demonstrate many social problems including transgender, and homophobia. Several jokes are made about Ross “kissing a guy.” It is showing through the show the toxic idea that trans people are somehow in disguise, as though any interaction with a trans person is a negative aspect. It also looks over the dangerous stereotype that trans people are not what they appear to be. But that their genitalia define them, not just their own identities. In Friends, the woman Ross kissed is a mistake, and is looked upon as being a gag. Which gives an outlook that so are trans people? As well, many episode have had scenes where Ross and Joey take a nap together. Which always ends up with both men making a smart remark questioning their sexuality. Not even a single male character is confident in his sexuality. Joey can’t wax his eyebrows without someone wondering if he’s looking for a boyfriend. The whole show to me has a theme to men that “If you’re not masculine then you are not a true man.”
ReplyDeleteIt’s nothing new that people, men and women alike, judge everyone else. One thing that they judge, myself included, is how people act when it comes to masculine features. From the examples, a straight masculine guy will go out of his way to avoid men doing feminine things, and who could blame guys like that. In a society that is diverse as the one we live in, lines that define masculinity and femininity start to get crossed. Masculinity is seen all over the media, in shows and movies such as Adventure Time, The Avengers, WWE programing and many other examples. All of them have masculine men with some showing their strengths and masculinity with some scenes that identify a less masculine or even feminine behavior. Media that show characters that demonstrate both masculine and feminine characteristics lead to people setting their own standards of masculinity that they live up to and judge everyone with.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that men are always trying to prove their masculinity. The show Friends is one of my all time favorite shows, I've probably watched every single episode at least 10 times. Something I've come to realize with this show is that out of the three men; Joey, Chandler, and Ross the only one to really be secure with himself and his masculinity is Joey. Throughout all Friends, Ross and Chandler are constantly trying to prove how masculine and "manly" they are. Joey doesn't question his masculinity because he gets involved with more women then Ross and Chandler. Friends is basically saying that the more women you sleep with the more of a man you are. Examples like this are also what help create the social double standard men sleeping with countless women makes you more of a man where as being a woman and sleeping with countless men is frowned upon.
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