Has Masculinity Evolved?
This picture was taken at The Archaeological Museum of Crete in Greece. It is called the Statue Hercules-Cerberus. It embodies what others see as true masculinity.
What is masculinity? Masculinity is certain characteristics often seen as typical for men. Masculinity has been around for generations. As we have read, for thousands and thousands of decades, this idea of men and the associated title of masculinity has been superior compared to femininity and women. Because of this comparison, women have attempted to prove themselves on numerous occasions, even though we have come a long way as a society, women still experience these troubles of discrimination. Why? Unfortunately, I do not know the answer. I can guess and say it is because “traditional men” perceive women solely as caretakers and should stay home with the kids or there is no possible way that a women could provide for a whole household. Both of these statements I have heard several times in my life.
In early modern Europe, being a masculine man meant all the roles of authority were presented before you. To be more specific, one of these various roles was being the head of the household. Men would have the duties of finances, trades, and jobs. Additionally, there were laws that allowed men to have control over their wife's. As I mentioned earlier, women are still expected to be housewives and take care of the domestic responsibilities but in early modern Europe this concept was driven to an extent unimaginable.
Another role of authority in early modern Europe and in Colonial America was leadership. This role specifically, I believe connects to a main issue we have in present time. When we go back and analyze this topic, we can clearly see that men had more educational opportunities. Therefore, intelligence meant power, and this resulted in masculine leadership.
All of the United States presidents have been male. In today's world, there have been two worthy females who have participated in the presidential debate. There are countless videos across all social media platforms that exaggerate the thought that women are not fit to be leaders.
CEO: A woman shouldn't be president (youtube.com)
A perfect example of a female leader was Weetamoo from Our Beloved Kin by Lisa Brooks. Weetamoo was a strong female and influential chief that displayed greatness. Even in this time, being a female leader was criticized, “Weetamoo presented a political and cultural challenge to the Puritan men who confronted her authority” (Brooks 4).
This photo was taken by a photographer named Sergii Figurnyi. A Statue of Juliet in Verona, Italy. Her left breast is a lighter color due to countless tourist caressing it. To me, this photo perfectly captures what it means to be a woman.
In today's world, we have come far. Women are now seen as more than just caretakers, housewives and sex objects. We can now own property, pursue an education, work, vote, run for president and way more that was not even fathomable during early modern England and the Colonial America era.
Even though we’ve reached a point as a whole of female inclusion, many still believe masculinity holds a higher status than femininity. It has been that scenario since the beginning of time. The battle between masculinity and femininity will be one that will go on for ages. With time, believe that eventually we will be viewed as equal. Until then, I know what side I’m taking in this ongoing battle.
Thanks for reading!