While we have been discussing much about how gender constructs have affected women, gender roles have also shaped the expectations placed upon males. And what better way to depict social expectations of males than with a top charts hit by the iconic Village People? So let's break down this 30+ year old music video.
[Video Description: The 1978 music video for Village People's first hit: "Macho Man" (before their biggest hit : "YMCA" four months later) This video was downloaded from Youtube.]
First things that jump out at the viewer, besides the groovy 1970's retro funk and pop, are the images of burly men tensing their muscles in the gym. The close-up views of biceps and pectorals depict the male body in an exaggerated fashion. This old method of exaggeration could be compared that of modern tendencies to use photoshop to edit magazine covers of women to sensualize them. In both occasions, the end result puts impossible body shapes up on a high pedestal to be revered by society. The ridiculous size of the muscles can be noted by comparing the muscle guys to the actual men of the Village People, who are much leaner. But to compensate, the Village People dance in a very sensual manner (just look at the guy in the Indian headdress!)
Secondly, (after rewatching the video for the fifth time...) you notice the lyrics (because you've probably started singing along). But the lyrics themselves bring to light the messages society has about the male body.
Starting with the beginning verses:
Every man wants to be a macho macho man,to have the kind of body, always in demand.You can best believe that he's a macho man,
ready to get down with anyone he can.Every man ought to be a macho macho man,
To live a life of freedom, machos make a stand,
Have their own life style and ideals,
Possess the strength and confidence, life's a steal,
You can best believe that he's a macho man
He's a special person in anybody's land.
Then moving onto the catchy chorus:
Macho, macho man! (see my big thick mustache)
I've got to be, a macho man!
Macho, macho man!
I've got to be a macho! (Dig broad shoulders)
The blunt message behind the video is that males want and should have a toned physique that would make Superman jealous. And only after the physical traits have been acquired, then a man will have the confidence to take life by the horns (which is what a man must do).
These ridiculous expectations are not logical and cannot be forced upon everyone. Not all males can be expected to be body-builders that extrude an aura of confidence and dance like the Village People. But to much of the dismay of boys, society strongly supports this social construct, as can be deduced by the success of the song and by the most "thumbed up" comment for the Youtube video, which is:
What do y'all think about the expectations of gender roles that are placed upon males? What parallels can you draw from the physical expectations of males to that of females? And how many times did you replay the video?
This is a great post that raises a series of interesting questions. The only thing I wold point out is that "gender roles" are not exactly "placed upon males," they are the very "material stuff" that constitute us. There is no previous Subject, intact and wholesome, before "gender roles" come on top of it to corrupt it. The Subject ("us") is made out of a series of ideals, we could say, which are always shifting, inheriting, repeating. Another thing to consider about the Village People and this song is the "camp" factor. It's important to recognize the register of satire in here, the way in which they might be making fun of these "ridiculous expectations", as opposed to condoning them.
ReplyDeleteprevious comment by Diego
ReplyDeleteThe images in the video perfectly depict the kind of perfection that men strive for, as a result of the pressure that they place upon themselves. Society constructs these kinds of body ideals that are often unattainable to the average male, just as it creates them for women. It is interesting to notice how over the years the ideas of what a perfect body is and what is seen as beautiful has changed. In the past, it was seen as attractive for a woman to have fair skin, dark hair, and a plumper and rounder figure, but now the media and society has created the idea that beauty comes in the form of tan, blonde, and abnormally skinny individuals. The ideas of attractiveness for men have also changed over the years, and both ideas for beauty in men and women will continue to keep shifting. New ideals of perfection and attraction will be constructed by society itself, and those that live within it will continue to strive and attain these standards.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting that for men there seems to be a range of things that buy them legitimacy which go beyond their bodies (their profession, their status, their wealth, their virility, their status), whereas that may not be so true for women, who are often left with only their bodies as tools for striving for that ideal?
ReplyDeleteDiego