This is a photo of a boy who received flowers from his girlfriend. His reply when he first saw the flowers? “I hope my friends don’t see you giving these to me.” Of course he loved them and it made him feel special and important just like any girl would feel if she received flowers but the only difference was that he wasn’t allowed to show his gratitude because it goes against the gender norms. I took a picture of him behind the flowers and in the corner of the picture to show that he has to hide this “abnormal” act of love. There is a light at the other end of the picture representing the normal gender expectations. He isn’t placed near the light because receiving flowers and actually liking them is the least masculine thing a man could do. The wall behind him is pink representing feminism as being just a neglected background image in society today. I also kept it pretty simple to show that this problem really lacks any grey area. Boys simply pretend not to like something so they don’t receive negative feedback. The boy is clearly reluctant to step outside of gender norms for fear of neglect from friends and that is a common problem the young boys of America face today. There are numerous names the boy could be called for actually enjoying the flowers he received. The lack of emotion boys are taught to show and the norms that they are forced into today can truly take a toll on their psyche.
12 comments:
Our society teaches boys from a young age that it is not okay to show any femininity at all, they are expected to hide their emotions at all times. If a boy/man is seen showing his emotions he will be made fun and called different names. I think men should show their emotions and that it should be okay, especially when they are happy, sad, mad etc. I like how you showed the boy standing behind the flowers, it portrays that he wants to show how happy he is but he is afraid because he does not want people to judge him (in a way he is hiding). I like how the light is set to the side of the picture representing that he is stepping out of expected gender norms. I feel bad for boys/men because they always have to have a certain attitude when it comes to certain aspects of life. Overall, I think that boys and men should be able to show some emotions and they should not feel ashamed/embarrassed for doing so.
In this photo, it shows how the male has received flowers but is reinforced to not express his true feelings about accepting them because although he appreciates them and would like to be happy that he got the flowers, he has to act as how the society accepts which is feeling uncomfortable about the fact that it is coming from a girlfriend and it's not him giving it to his girlfriend. The book explains that gender is set into two boxes that has comfort zones for society and if a girl were to leave the box it would be okay and would be labeled a tomboy. Although the society is more strict on men because if a male were to step out of the box, people would not encourage that and the people around him would feel uncomfortable. Also the picture is point blank, it shows that men can't show their true feelings without feeling ashamed to do so and that's the only problem this picture is expressing which is why the picture only shows a wall, the guy, and the flowers.
I chose this picture because I had a very strong reaction to it. I appreciate the myriad of emotions that have been given to men and women. These emotions are available to everyone to express. This man is smiling with his eyes but his mouth is covered which represents silence due to the gender expectation for men to be unemotional. He is unable to experience joy and excitement because of the cultural norm of men having to be tough. There is no reason that a man cannot receive flowers and benefit from the gift of love from his girlfriend. This picture illustrates the tremendous pressure men feel to keep the tough guise as discussed in class.
This picture shows that it is not very socially acceptable for a man to receive flowers or any other mostly feminine gifts. The fact that he appears to be smiling but his mouth is hidden shows that he cannot really let people see that he is happy about getting the flowers. It is interesting how the he seems to be trying to get as far away from the light as possible. Almost as if he does not want it brought "into the light" that he really does appreciate the thoughtfulness of receiving flowers just because he is a man.
This picture is a true example what society teaches boys and girls, and sadly it shows that boys are taught that you must hide your emotional feelings and to have a tough exterior and if they show otherwise they will be socially punished. I personally think that if boys showed some of their some emotions it won’t necessarily be the “end of the world “but instead they could handle a lot of situations a lot better, I also really like his mouth is covered so in a way you have no idea what his true expression and instead give a random interpretation and wonder if he is smiling really proudly because he such beautiful flowers from his girlfriend or if he is kind of embarrassed that he actually received flowers , But this picture really reflects what the film “ Tough Guise was explaining. And like the film said that if a guy showed more emotion he wouldn’t be seen as lesser than a man.
A boy goes through a series of black lashing from the society today. It is a social norm to be typical man, which is strictly heterosexual. Being heterosexual in today’s society is being ok with aggressiveness and knowing anything women like you should not like. Men have more negative reinforcement when they attempt to step of the tough guise box the masculine way. Men are discriminated against for doing feminine things but women get a sense of praise from when they take such action. The stigma of homosexuality has been blown out of proportion. It’s ok to have similar same traits as the opposite sex have. As long as a man knows his gender identity which is his chief component he shouldn’t be judge upon liking flowers.
Our culturally accepted views on what a man should do or how he should act is often ridiculous. Why is it okay for a woman to receive flowers, but a man feels like he can't? Most men reply the same as he did. Men often times try to look like the tough, strong, and nothing hurts my feelings type of person; whereas women are more commonly the complete opposite. Men who are heterosexual tend to watch their "boundary crossing" very carefully. I agree with your statement, and feel like men do pretend that they don't like or appreciate certain things due to fear of negative feedback. However, men and women can both be taught how to express and accept emotion. I know this photo has flowers as the symbol, but there are plenty of other things that men try to act like they have no interest in, just because of the fear of being judged. I feel like this is an everyday battle for these men, and I can only pray that my son doesn't have to be pressured as much as these young men do today.
I think this photo is really clever and fun while still expressing a good message about gender roles. Growing up boys are taught not to like flowers and that they are meant for girls. So a boy receiving flowers is looked at as a blow to their masculinity. To women getting flowers is a sign of love or appreciation, so why can’t it mean the same thing for men? It is because gender roles have taught men to be offended by this thoughtful gesture. What I find interesting about how this photo is set up is that even though the boy is the only one in the photo he still hides behind the flowers, possibly feeling embarrassed. If there were other guys around to see him receive the “girly” flowers it would make me sense for his embarrassment, so even if he appreciates the photo he can’t allow himself to show it because it would make him less of a man.
Post a Comment