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Aron Martinez
Professor Ditch
English 113A
8 December 2015

Mass Media Depicts Men as Dominant

Men have always been viewed as dominant throughout mass media. In the visual text that
I chose, King Leonidas from the film 300 is depicted as wearing his Spartan uniform where you
can see his masculine body with great muscle definition as he throws a spear. The visual text
illustrates how men are always portrayed by the media that they are always in the position of
dominance. There are some men who do not conform to that type of masculine performance and
can in fact be feminine. It is true to some extent that men have always been the ones in a position
of dominance. For example, if we look at history men were the pioneers of discovering new
lands or men were the ones going into war and being in control of certain situations. Even though
it was true about men being the dominant ones, nowadays in modern society a lot has changed.
Not many men can portray that type of performance nor can they perform the leadership roles or
always be in control of certain situations.
Since mass media has been portraying men as being dominant and in a position of
authority it has put pressure on men to conform to that type of hyper masculinity and gender
performance. This can be a problem for men because there are men who prefer not to conform to
the social norms of their gender and prefer to conform to what they are comfortable with. You
see a lot in media that men are supposed to be strong and have a very muscular body type. Also it
shows how men must be in a position of authority in which you see a lot in films/movies and TV

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shows as well. The media also illustrates how it is normal for men to be aggressive and violent
because it is supposed to show the so-called man who has power. Once again you see this plenty
in movies where men are the ones performing violent roles like in war movies or even when it
comes to sports. Men rule all kinds of sports because they seem to be more competitive. In the
article Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender by the author Aaron
Devor states, Body postures, speech patterns, and styles of dress which demonstrate and support
the assumption of dominance and authority convey an impression of masculinity (42). This
comes to show how the media also sets standards for men to follow the role of a man being in a
position of dominance.
In modern society and in our past history there are now men that are feminine. So, not all
men can conform to those gender norms of hyper masculinity and they dont perform the socalled man performance in which they will not do what a man is expected to do. For example,
men are expected to be in leadership roles, in control, dominant, and in a position of authority.
Usually being a feminine male can come with consequences. In the article Becoming Members
of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender by the author Aaron Devor states the patriarchal
gender schema currently in use in mainstream North American society reserves highly valued
attributes for males and actively supports the high evaluation of any characteristics which might
inadvertently become associated with maleness.(40) Society can punish those that do not
conform to their appropriate gender roles, especially when it comes to men because men are
viewed as the ones with power and if they dont have power, they have nothing. It is important
for men to have some type of superiority with them but it is also important to understand that not
all men will conform to that type of gender hyper masculinity because of their feminine ways. It
might not even be that some men do not perform that specific gender role because they can still

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be masculine but not necessarily be in a position of dominance or in a position of superiority. For
example, in the work force there are different positions like being a manager or a regular
employee. There are different leadership positions that make some men have a higher authority.
It is ok for men to not conform to being a man and not always being in a position of dominance.
It is well documented to the fact that men should be considered the ones to be in a state of
dominance and superiority. In the article, Night to His Day: The Social Construction of
Gender. By the author Judith Lorber states, Men dominate the positions of authority and
leadership in government, the military, and the law; cultural productions, religions, and sports
reflect mens interests. (30) Men have huge leadership icons like the president of the united
states, Nick Fury from the film The Avengers, as well as in the time of World War II when
Adolf Hitler was very popular in Germany. What these men have in common is that they all
played huge leadership roles in their own unique way. Some may not be viewed as great but their
position was always a dominant one.
If we take a look into our history it is noticed that a lot of major changes were made in
this world and plenty of it was made by men. One great example was Cornelius Vanderbilt, also
known informally as Commodore Vanderbilt, was an American business magnate and
philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. Vanderbilt is a great example that
shows dominance, superiority, and leadership. Vanderbilt was a man that was in a position of
control. business men such as Cornelius Vanderbilt in investment banking established
monopolies and oligopolies in their fields. Although they faced much economic and political
opposition, a relatively small number of businessmen were able to dominate the U.S. economy
by the end of the nineteenth century. As you can clearly see Cornelius Vanderbilt was a man
who definitely was able to perform this male dominance ideology in a superior way in which he

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was in a position of true dominance and control. Mass media shows many images as to what
being a real man truly is whether it is being tough, powerful, dominant, and in control. Cornelius
Vanderbilt was able to perform the man idealization and that is why Vanderbilt makes a great
image amongst most men as to what a man is. Once again time has changed and a lot is evolving
and this image of a man is very well still staying the same but now, not many men are continuing
to follow the so-called man performance.
As time keeps progressing and life keeps evolving, many major changes are starting to
happen among the lines of male dominance. Because of all the media depicting the image of
what it is to be a man and the changes that are happening in western society, it is causing men to
change their ways and not necessarily in a negative way. After years of men having to perform
male gender roles like being masculine, men are now starting to be feminine. This is definitely
not a negative thing because it allows freedom among all men to express themselves however
they wish to be expressed. Men are now able to pursue the gender they wish to be and now in
modern times many men are. In the article Becoming Members of Society: The Social
Meanings of Gender by the author Aaron Devor states As we move through our lives, society
demands different gender performances from us and rewards, tolerates, or punishes us differently
for conformity to, or digression from, social norms. (35) Years ago men were to afraid to be
feminine because of the punishment they would receive from society. In the modern days of
western society, it is now ok for men to not conform to the gender roles of masculinity and
conform to the gender roles of femininity or even conform to both. Mass media is now starting to
allow men to conform to whatever it is they feel comfortable with because the media is now
sending the message that they will be accepted. Although mass media still supports the man
image they are also starting to support the image of a man being feminine.

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With all the changes in mass media towards sending the message of being accepted for
who you are men are now starting to feel more free to be and to do what they desire. One great
example that illustrates these new changes is when a man named Bruce Jenner turned into a
transgender woman whose name is now Caitlyn Marie Jenner. Caitlyn Marie Jenner, formally
Bruce Jenner, is an American television personality and retired athletic champion. Jenner shows
true courage and a huge icon for some men who are either feminist as well or supports the image
of a man who is feminine. A new survey from NBC News on Caitlyn Jenner and transgender
bias found that most people think the 65-year-old will help society become more accepting of
transgender people (66 percent to be exact). It is still difficult for some men to conform to the
feminist type of gender because punishment among those who wish to perform the roles not
appropriate to their gender will still happen, but, then again, many are starting to realize and
understand that it is now ok for others to perform the roles opposite to their gender and some are
starting to accept them.
With the mass media portraying the image of what it is to be a man as well as setting
standards for men, unfortunately some men are not able to conform to them. It is known that men
must be tough, dominant, powerful, etc.in the article Becoming Members of Society: The Social
Meanings of Gender by the author Aaron Devor describes cross gender behaviors are
ignored by observers, and therefore do not compromise the integrity of a persons gender
display they are labeled as inappropriate gender role behaviors.(39) there are some men,
however, that they may not perform those exact roles but that does not mean that they are
feminine or that it makes them less than the so-called man. Some men may portray feminine
roles but that does not exactly make them feminine. Some men can even be a loving and caring
father towards the kids all while the woman works and brings home income for the family. The

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idealization of woman having to be a stay at home mother is not true and the fact that some men
adopt that specific role does not make them less dominant. Men across all aspects of life can very
well be less dominant than others. There are many different leadership positions in the
workforce, military, government, religion, etc. it does not necessarily mean that they are less
dominant because of the position that they are in. it is definitely ok for some men to not portray
the performance of a man being in a position of dominance, superiority, and control because
most men will not be able to conform to that type of performance.
In conclusion, although men are depicted by mass media that men are expected to be
dominant, be in a position of control, have great superiority, and overall be powerful, plenty of
men would find it difficult to perform those specific male dominant roles or maybe even choose
not to portray those roles at all. It is ok for men to be considered feminine because of course not
many men out there in society can actually portray what the media sets for them to perform
because now-a-days men can do what they desire. Throughout history and even modern times, it
is definitely true that major events that occurred were usually done by men. Men were making
major changes, discovering new things, and conquering new lands so it is true that men were
always dominant and superior. In these modern times it is now socially accepted for men to
perform with what they desire and what they feel comfortable with as well as with mass media
starting to accept it and support it.

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Works Cited
Devor, Aaron H. Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender.
Groner, Rachel and John F. OHara. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. 35-43. Print.
Lorber, Judith. Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. Groner, Rachael and
John F. OHara. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight reader. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2014. 19-30. Print.
Miller, Korin This Is How the Majority of America Really feels About Caitlyn Jenner.
Womans Health. Rodale Inc. 9 June. 2015. Web. 1 November 2015.
Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. Caitlyn Jenner. Web. 1 November 2015.
Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. Cornelius Vanderbilt. Web. 1 November 2015.
Woodiwiss, Michael Organized Crime and American Power: A History. Books. Google.
University of Toronto press Inc. 2001. Web. 1 November 2015.