Johnny Quizphi
12/08/2010
Prof. Bogacka
Famous Men and their masculinity in binds.
A man is considered a man by how he decides to act and behave towards people. How he chooses to be will define the way people view him and judge where does his masculinity stand. There are two clear choices to be either a gentleman or beast. This whole concept of gentleman or beast is based on the research of Susan Bordo and her book The Male Body, specifically focusing on the chapter titled “the double bind of masculinity”. From this reading one can understand that men always have these situations in which they have to choose to become one or the other (gentleman or beast). Whichever one a man chooses to be will affect how people see him and he has to accept the consequences (negative stereotypes) that go along with that choice. Famous men of any ethnicity, any race (doesn’t matter) they cannot escape the stereotypes placed on them by the media and because of this their masculinity takes a big hit. I agree with this and the chapter of Susan Bordo's entitled "the double bind of masculinity".
With this whole concept of the double bind of masculinity putting men in lose-lose situations, men’s masculinity can be permanently scarred because of the constant negative stereotypes. An article found in respect to this was in the Sunday Mirror magazine on the February 24 edition. It was about the ex-world heavyweight boxing champion "Iron" Mike Tyson. Tyson is known for many things such as being a savage bull in the ring as well as for biting off Evander Holyfield’s ear off in a match but this article is interesting because Mike Tyson is known for all this aggressiveness and mean temper, but his girlfriend said that "It makes me sad he still has this reputation as a mean aggressive person. The real Mike is sensitive, funny, romantic, generous and extremely loving”. (Luz) There is a perfect relation between his choice to be a gentleman and a beast to the Bordo chapter. This is where the stereotypes happen and form up in the minds of the media. How could a man who was a mean, lean, punching machine be a sweet, romantic and loving guy? The media will act harshly on that information and stereotype the man. Tyson had to choose between a gentleman or beast and no matter which one he chose he was bonded by his spectators and critics to their opinion about him.
Another interesting article was found in The Times (London) magazine the September 2002 edition and it was written about the rock and roll icon Brian Warner (leader of the band Marilyn Manson). This article gives examples that very well relates to the studies of Bordo in her “gentleman or beast…” chapter. One line that Warner said was “Well, I am not competitive but in every relationship I’ve had, guys, girls and everything...” This artist is very interesting because in his concerts he is super aggressive to the point he plays ground smashing rock and roll music, some people would clearly say he is an uncontrollable beast. But as it turns out he has a bit of too much “gentleman” in him as well off stage. In his social private life he acts too feminine and any leaked information the press can get a hold of can land him a negative stereotype. The double bind is very applicable with Brian Warner because he has many people who want him as far away possible and practice his visions other places. He cannot escape the negative stereotypes of the public but yet some die-hard fans love him for being the artist he is.
Many males face this double bind in which their masculinity was put to the test; a test that makes them face contradictory decisions that can follow them for the rest of their careers and lives. The example of “Iron” Mike Tyson who to the media was an aggressive fighter a regular savage beast in the ring turned out to be a perfect gentleman, a soften man with his girlfriend. As well as the example of Brian Warner a wild and crazy rock superstar turned out to be a very “curious” man and very feminine. This all portraits back to the author Susan Bordo and her article “the double bind of masculinity” in her The Male Body book, these men have made their own choices and now face whatever the media says of them, though in the end as long as the know where their masculinity stands the media is nothing but a pesky bug that can be shrugged off the shoulder.
Work Cited
Billen, Andrew. "Brian and the beast" The Times (London) 16 Sept. 2002. 16 Sept. 2002. WEB.
Bordo, Susan. “Gentleman or Beast? The Double Bind of Masculinity.” The Male Body: A New Look At Men in Public and In Private. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999. 242-264. PRINT.
Hancock, Louise. "Mike is a BEAST." Sunday Mirror 29 Feb. 2004. 1 March. 2004. WEB.
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