RR #2

To be a man is to be tough and to show no fear, this is what most fathers teach their sons growing up. This has been going on for decades; men are supposed to be the strong ones, the ones that have the power. According to “Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code by Michael Kimmel not only occurs in home but is displayed in the outside world. Michael talks about “Guy Code” which are the values, qualities, and the attitude that defines a man. Masculinity, Kimmel says, is attributed through peers. Once a man steps outside of those lines, the risk is being emasculated. Kimmel also brings up another point that the rules of masculinity is not for the women in their lives but for the men, impress a man rather than a woman. Kimmel further discussed that because of the homophobia and the fear of being as seen effeminate, a man tends to live a bit more dangerously. I find it true that men focus more into physical attributes and that women look on the emotional. If men see that another man is not as masculine as they are, they start name calling them just because they don’t act as tough as them. Also when a woman notices the guy talking to them normally without showing some interest in them, they automatically come to the assumption that he is gay. I find it interesting when Eminem was being questioned on one of his interviews about how he kept saying faggot in one of his songs. He said that calling another man a faggot is just to take their manhood away from them. To say that they are weak not necessarily that they like other men. Another thing that caught my attention was men don’t act tough just to impress women; they act like this because they want to be well evaluated my other men. I believe that it’s harder for a man to fit in and be accepted in this society because guys just try to see who is better than the other. While Guy Code may have been meant as a guideline to make men stronger, it really can turn out to be to be self destructive in the end. Bottling up feelings can lead to depression or serious anger issues. However as hard  as it may be, it really is no wonder why men feel so pressured to live up to Guy Code when their being bombarded with expectations by women as well as other men.