Thursday, March 21, 2013

Hyper-Masculinity


Today in class we discussed hyper-masculinity. Tupac Shakur was a great model to follow in this discussion. He talks about fighting, drugs, and sex, just like every other rapper. He writes those kinds of songs because they sell; yet he also had a very serious side to him as well like in “Dear Mama”.  That is a topic that is always so controversial in our media today. A perfect example, which I tweeted, is the image of Dolce & Gabanna where the guy is on top of the girl and all the other guys are watching. It is a problem in society with the way masculinity is portrayed, but it is what sells and that is why it is so prominent. Mos Def said it perfectly in Beyond Beats and Rhymes, when he said he likes books but has to put on a show because that is what sells. Sex sells in our society and it’s a said way to make money. Sometimes it is hard for some men to function properly in our society because of the stereotype they are forced to meet. Not every guy is tough, muscular, always with the girls; some guys just don’t like to put on that front and don’t want to live a life like that. If you look at our society as a whole, we sexualize women and over exaggerate what a man should be. Media in our society is completely messed up and it is only going to get worse as time continues to pass. 

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