While watching the video in class I was fascinated by the level to which "macho" images and the aspect of masculinity is pushed in media and present day culture. As a young woman, I already know and acknowledge the ridiculous standards of beauty that females are supposed to "achieve". These images of perfection and extreme portrayals of frail thin women as the standard of beauty do anything but promote healthy body images. While watching the Katz documentary he explained it is these very pressures that also affect the male mentality. From the age of birth boys are pushed to suppress their emotions, which as Katz expressed, causes severe emotional damage and an inability to feel manly and also express emotions and feelings. This then reverts back to an excessive level of violence, which was statistically shown time and time again within the documentary.
The images of the toys showing the growth of arm width was especially troubling. The reoccuring want to be seen as a tough individual is seen within the male mentality from pubescent years to maturity. Katz addressed this in part due to the current ability for women and men to pursue the same jobs and opportunities, which causes men to feel threatened by the female representation in all realms of life. I found this also alarming, since I see signs of male chauvinism every day. This then ties to the female body losing the strength of it’s “curves” seen in te image of beauty in the past, to the wispy fragile status quo of models today.
This division between the escapism of reality through influencing the mental reinforced images of accepted behaviors and normalities in the media is what truly troubles me in modern society, and I was very happy that Katz and Hooks addressed these images with the same level of critical importance.
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