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Concepts of "Male" and "Female" in the West |
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Facing immense pressure to grow up quickly in a hectic and fast paced society, many young boys are encouraged to emulate outdated and two-dimensional male role models that are championed by dominant Western ideology as "ideal men". These are often fictional, older, one dimensional "heroes", that are not nearly as complex as one would want a healthy role model to be. Characters like Ethan Edwards, the protagonist of the Hollywood western The Searchers, and Corporal Sid Clay, the main character in Phillip Godsell's short story "Tangled Trails", embody this frightening simplicity: they are primarily men that work alone, and usually get what they want without help from anybody else. Narratives about these kinds of "heroes" pressure young boys to emulate a superficial interpretation of manhood. This in effect isolates adult men from their communities, because they attempt become the embodiment of Edwards or Clay: men who can only be real men if they work and think alone and get what they want through their own solitary struggle. Representations of masculinity should allow young boys more freedom and time to grow as adults. Restrictive male role models must also be abandoned in favour of more diverse and more human "heroes". This will allow young boys to develop a more complex and complete idea of themselves as individuals.
A young boy living in the West is bombarded with images and stories of fictional "strong men". These characters impart a strong message to young boys about the kind of man that they are supposed to be. What is concerning is not only the fact that this message is so oppressive and limiting, but that it is sent out to children of extremely young ages. Siltanen and Doucet express their concerns about this early exposure to ideas of gender identity:
With increasing pressure to 'grow up fast', children are exposed sooner to adult versions of gender identity. One concern with this is that it leaves little time for exploration and discovery of one's inner feelings, sensibilities, and inclinations. At younger and younger ages, children assume the postures and trappings of culturally presented, and commercially driven, adult female and male identities. (Siltanen and Doucet, 39)
These messages targeted towards children not only impart ideas about what a "real" man is, but also imply that it is time for one to become so. Being pressured to become an adult, and only the right kind of adult, often forces boys to turn to the few types of adult men they are exposed to, which are mainly fictional heroes created to be consumed by millions of other boys. These "heroes" are representations of masculinity that are both simplistic and unrealistic. By accepting and adapting the image of the "ideal man", young boys become much like the characters themselves: underdeveloped and sterile. These characters were not created with the ability to explore their "inner feelings, sensibilities, and inclinations" (Siltanen and Doucet, 39), they purely represent an exterior masculine. In this way, many young boys are discouraged from exploring their own identities or simply do not feel it is necessary to do so as long as the image they convey is that of a steady and strong man. In this respect boys are often denied the opportunity to understand themselves as people, not just as a man to be judged on the role he is playing.
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