Gee, I don’t know if I’m “man enough” for MegaForce. Can I have a few minutes to think about it? I never really envisioned a scenario where an ad for a Hal Needham movie (“a lousy Hal Needham movie” would be redundant) might force me to define my gender role in specific terms, so I’m a bit unprepared.
What definition of “man” are we talking about, anyway? Because certain popular assumptions about what the term entails preclude wearing a spandex unitard and having perfectly trimmed and moussed facial hair. I eschew tight fitting clothing for reasons of comfort and practicality. I do sport chin stubble more often than not, but that is less a conscious affectation of manliness than the fact that my hypersensitive skin rules out shaving more frequently than once a week.
I can confidently state that I do not ascribe to the notion of manhood as defined by Spike TV, Maxim, or other proponents of the “man as drunken, hairless ape, and that’s cool” school of thought. Nor do I have much fondness for the sensitive male/emo crowd and its passive-aggressive brand of machismo, either. (Especially, since in many cases it’s a false front to market one’s self romantically, rather than as an actual enlightened attitude.)
Yet the question remains: Where does my masculinity stand vis-à-vis Ace Hunter and his jet-powered supercycle?
It’s not that I put a whole lot of thought what having a Y chromosome means on a daily basis, though I’m not saying that in the sense of those color/gender-blind statements that are the province of the privileged, and used haughtily to duck the issues of bias or kick historical and cultural context to the curb: “I don’t see why having a cover depicting a black man getting burned alive should be any more offensive than one featuring a white man in the same situation.” I won’t pretend that gender doesn’t play a factor in what Andrew is, but in how I view myself, it doesn’t mean as much to me as it seems to with a lot of other guys. It’s simply a whim of genetic coding, and nothing I feel the need to “prove,” “assert,” or “defend.”
I’m sorry, Ace, I just don’t think it would work out between your organization of hi-tech mercenaries and me. Staking my sense of self-worth and perception of masculinity on my ability to foil Henry Silva’s terrorist army with a futuristic dune buggy doesn’t sit well with me. I wouldn’t say no to one of those bike decals, though, if you’ve any to spare…
For the musical portion of today’s program, here are two variants on the themes of masculinity and self – one from a 60’s psychedelic perspective, the other from an 80’s pop one.
Chopper – I Think I’m a Man (from Le Beat Bespoké, 2004)
Men Without Hats – Hey Men (from The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century, 1989)
Friday, June 15, 2007
the gauntlet has been thrown down
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1 comments:
I like the fact that this post follows on from the gay marriage post but it is a travesty that nobody has yet commented. Maybe it is easier for us, as men, to 'liberalise' our views of others than it is for us to get a handle on what 'being a man' really means these days.
Whilst we have right royally f*cked up the running of the planet (lets have more women in charge, eh? They can talk to each other empathetically without posturing) I depair at the way we are being sold down the same river our sisters were. Look at the 'male grooming' market, the increase of eating disorders among men, the 'male image' magazine market. Pretty soon men will be subject to the same image/weight/apperance pressure that women face on a daily basis but we aren't gonna have the bra's to burn and only ourselves to blame. Placing image before substance to make money can only be a dangerous thing.
I am with Susan Faludi on this: men and women share a common enemy - those who would strive to define us by our image and then use that to enslave us.
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