Lipstick -Not- Lesbian (Close But Nice Try Though)

Interestingly enough, upon reading both Sedwick's and Lee's essays I almost instantaneously had a thought about someone I knew through high school. We were friends and hung out within a circle of people that were always open and almost completely unabashed about themselves and their lifestyles. So, when it came up in conversation how a "bottom" gay man understood his own masculinity, he jumped right in to dispel the ignorance. He stated that although he may act in a flamboyant manner and take on characteristics which are often affiliated with being "feminine", at the end of the day he's still a man and both attaches himself deeply to and takes great pride in his own masculinity. At the time I thought it was a great answer because it rebuked the constriction placed on gay men (actually, really anyone for that manner) by stereotyping and emphasized the security he feels in his own being. But I think now, after reading both essays although I do give my friend very much credit, I feel as though his answer may do more harm than good.

Both essays stress the concept of men acting outside of what their expected behavior as a male is being indicative or symptomatic of being homosexual. Though there are obviously many faults with this concept already, what I thought was intriguing is the way that both essays insinuate that there is therefore a rightful manner for men or women to act in. It totally removed the reality of homosexuality from the actual sex act and redefined it in terms of a lifestyle choice or way of existence. I feel as though my friend perhaps unknowingly did this too, disregarding the fact that there is a correlation in being a male that is penetrated to women in that they both generally share the experience of being penetrated. By placing character traits and habits into the conversation, I feel as though you only work to perpetuate the gender stereotyping which a man like my friend clearly desires to escape. If one could only wear lipstick and love manhwa girls and just be Joon or whoever they may be instead of falling suddenly into a new realm of what they are as a person, perhaps the world would never have to know "How to Bring Your Kids Up Gay."

-Jheanelle G.

Faggot=Loser=Catchy Song by MSI

Upon reading Ken Corbett's piece on the establishment of manhood in boys and the use of the word "faggot" the first thing that came to mind was one of my favorite songs by Mindless Self Indulgence. The song playfully deals with the concept of a boy trying to understand and come to terms with the fluid, blurry nature of his own sexuality in an environment which expects him to be, but even more so, act straight. The interesting thing about the song is although you get the sense that the subject enjoys the gay sex he's partaking in, he both never really wanted to be straight and devalues himself for it. One of the first lines denotes the subject attempting to "consume" the hetero-normative culture he lives in, but his inability to resist his homoerotic urges. What the song portrays is part of what Corbett was alluding to in his piece; by assigning the title of "faggot", a term consistent with being gay--a characteristic which one isn't in control of, to a boy/man as both description and chastisement for attributes which one is more so in control of, ie manner of speaking, athletic ability, it denotes the cultural belief that homosexuality is not only something which a gay person decides to take onto themselves, but also that it is something that can be changed. Therefore, by "choosing" to be homosexual they are rebelling against and rejecting the majority system of thought and culture and deserve to be punished and mistreated as any member of society that breaks its rules does. It essentially transforms a homosexual into a common criminal.

Not only this, but as the song progresses it calls into question whether or not the subject is actually enjoying being openly homosexual and experiencing gay sex or that there no way to return to being straight; "I could have been a star, it freaks me out when I sound just like my mom. I could've rocked the spot, instead of being just another faggot like I am. I played that shit straight, blowin' suckas to the side hopin' I get laid, now everybody knows, no way in hell I can ever live it down." As Corbett denoted, the power of the titling someone as a "faggot" is that it not only speaks to someone's character, like calling a woman a "bitch" or a financially cautious person a "jew", it completely strips that person of the ability to affiliate themselves with anything outside of the umbrella of what a "faggot" is. Commonly, "faggot" and "masculine" don't coincide with each other, they clash therefore making it impossible for a boy/man who is called a "faggot" to claim his masculinity. In response, he must then either isolate himself or associate himself with the assumed converse of masculinity; femininity. Being a "faggot" and being a "feminine" man can live together peaceably; this being a unfortunate, forced resolution to the identity conflict created by calling someone a "faggot." Perhaps this is the reason that the repetitive hook of the song (which is actually very catchy so hopefully you guys listen to it) only asks the listener to please "dig me now, fuck me later, and sing it to the tune of faggot faggot faggot."

--Jheanelle G.

I'm Just A Sweet Transvestite ;)

So this is my first time ever blogging so if something doesn't work out I apologize. Anyway, since we started out the class discussing the concept of gender through the socially sordid concept of gender-bending I had to go with an American classic; The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Initially I wasn't quite sure what I'd do with it, only that Tim Curry's absolutely fabulous. It's only when I went to google the scene with Dr. Frankenfurter's introduction that I was struck by something I absolutely wasn't expecting. Looking for better picture quality, I went to hulu for the video only to be told that I would need to sign onto an account because the video withholds mature content. As anyone that watches it can see, no one's half naked, no one's humping anyone (or as we like to call it, "dancing"), and at no point is there any lewd or foul language involved. We can only assume that what categorizes this as inappropriate for a younger viewing audience is the fact that the main character's a transvestite and gay (and damn proud of it too.)

The fact that in our society which is supposed to be so modern and progressive we still feel the need to "shelter" ourselves from people, who despite their choices in attire or lover are still people, is absurd. And when compared with the fact that we find it more acceptable to broadcast videos for songs like Rihanna's "Rude Boy" ( with such fashionable lyrics as "I like the way you touch me there; I like the way you pull my hair. Baby, if I don't feel it I ain't faking no, no." or the even more tasteful "I like when you tell me kiss it there; I like when you tell me move it there. So get it up; time to get it up.") there is clearly something wrong with our culture's understanding of morals and values.

To handle our fear of the unknown and its dangers, we have a rampant need to understand and categorize things. Though this may work for rocks and trees when we attempt to categorize people and what's right and wrong behaviour for people, I think we all know there no way to come up with one set answer. So why do we keep acting as if there is one?

--Jheanelle G.

The Expectations Placed on Men by Gender Roles

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:

By far the straightest video on Youtube.

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?