From the text “Masculinity”, Michael Kimmel writes “Institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of gender order through several gendered processes.” I think he means by how institutions such as school, work, media, family and so on shape a major impact on how men and women should be. It created a lot of differences between genders, the way men and women should act, the way they think and behave. Also, they have a fixed image of masculinity and when they do things differently, they don’t find it acceptable.  What we saw in the discussion in “Man Enough”, there was a part where they talk about how society created men to be in the ‘Manbox’ and when they get outside the box, they’re alone and on their own therefore they remain silent to keep the ‘bro code’ to fit in and to be accepted. 

Moreover, I think what he means by masculinities instead of using the term masculinity is that it’s not just a single meaning, there are different perspectives of masculinity and how each individual see and define masculinity.  Like an example from the text, how to be a man in France is not the same as in Australia and how a man was back in the day might not be the same as today. It changes over time since the environment and people’s behavior around also change and that it won’t always be the same. As we watched the discussion from “Man Enough”, if they only get to be comfortable at accepting their own way of what being a man is rather than the need to try to prove themselves if they’re man enough by being taught to do ‘this and that’, if a man is allowed to be himself and express himself in a unique way, then this can also contribute positively in making this world a better place.

Michael Kimmel’s essays about masculinity have questioned our definitions of this term and study several aspects of society. On page 3 of Michael Kimmel’s “Masculinity”, he states that “Institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of gender order through several gendered processes” (Kimmel 3). By this, he means that social institutions, such as religion, family and the workplace, are associated to masculine or feminine traits and they contribute to defining gender. Since these institutions attribute roles to men and women from the start, they contribute to our common definition of masculinity and femininity. For example, most common religions in the west are based around patriarchy. Therefore, it is only normal to define men as the “bread winners” and the ones who hold power. Through these institutions, the difference between the two genders is more clearly perceived and more predominant in society. They contribute to the stereotypes concerning men and women are therefore more present in society since a very early age. In the fourth episode of “Man Enough”, it is stated that boys are taught from a very young age that they have power and dominance over women. In the institutions we have established in our everyday lives (workplace, religion, family), women have less power. Boys are therefore taught to be misogynistic and grow up with fictional rules of manhood that have been dictated to them by society’s institutions.

Kimmel also constantly uses the term “masculinities”. By this term, Kimmel refers to the presence of several definitions of masculinity. He states in his work that masculinity doesn’t have one universal definition, rather it varies according to the time, place, and interactions someone was brought up with. He states, in his work, that “an older, black, gay man in Chicago and a young, white, heterosexual farm boy in Iowa would likely have different ideas of masculinity” (Kimmel 2). Kimmel prefers using this term because he finds it liberating. It is a reminder to all men that their masculinities are not fixed identities, defined or assigned to them from birth. Rather, they are a product of their upbringing and can change even within a whole society. In the fourth episode of “Man Enough”, it is stated that 80% of men don’t know what consent is. Even though 1/6 men are raped, men are not trained to deal and process such horrific events. A man’s masculinity is questioned when he gets assaulted. Therefore, by understanding what messages are being subconsciously transmitted to men through their interactions in society, we can make sure these messages include better definitions of masculinity, with less violence, more love and more listening. By understanding what messages are being subconsciously sent to boys on how to be a man, we can deconstruct the “man box” that is mentioned in the documentary and ensure that we live in a better society for all genders.

In the text “Masculinity” by Micheal Kimmel he sais “institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of gender order through several gendered processes” by this he means that we learn what masculinity from people with a certain perspective on masculinity. Parents, grand parents, school, work ,friends even tv shows and movies. All of this thing describe what’s masculinity. It was shown in the episode “Man enough” that men like to be dominant, providers and emotionaless and these aspects were conveyed by the older generation.

Moreover kimmel uses the word “masculinities” because there are many ways to view it and everyone’s culture is different. There isn’t just one definition.For example men holding hands can be a symbol of friendship in some countries , compared to other countries where that might be discomforting to certain men. In the episode “man enough” we learn that if a man doesn’t follow the men’s norms they wouldn’t live comfortably due to others judgment. 

In the text, Masculinity, Michael Kimmel expresses the following, “institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of gender order through several gendered processes”. Kimmel is expressing his point of view of how a man will change the way he thinks towards a certain situation depending on the depth of it. The setting plays an important role in how the man will interpret what is masculine to himself. For example a man will behave differently when he’s with his male friends than when he’s with his girlfriend. In the episode that we watched during class, we saw the different scenarios in which being masculine for a man is determined. How one acts protective over their family and how one might be violent during a situation depends on the circumstance and the social background they come from. Secondly, in the article by Kimmel he uses the “masculinities” rather than the term masculinity because his idea in this is that there are many ways to view a man. There is not one simple and correct way interpret what makes a man because all men are different in their own ways. The upbringing of one also determines how one may view or think what a man really is because no one comes exactly from the same background. In the episode of “Man Enough” all the men around the table expressed the different ways they were each brought up and how these were also the reasons as to how they became the men that they are. Also it is important to understand the fact that a man will always be changing due to the things that life will make them face.

In the paragraph about gender and institutions, Kimmel talks about the gender expectations  that society sets through the gendered institutions that determines how an individual will act in a community. Gender institutions can be workplace, family, school or even the media. In other words, boys and girls are expected to behave a certain way, to dress a certain way or to choose a certain career path in the future. For example, in older days, the only “acceptable” jobs for women were administration (being a secretary) or other “office jobs”, whereas for men it was jobs such as being a firefighter or police officer. In the episode of Man Enough, they talk about how men are “put in a box”, which means that they are expected to act tough, to not show any signs of emotions or weakness, to be misogynist, and they are taught that they are stronger than women and that men need to protect women. Sometimes, being in that box is easier than stepping out of that box, which makes that some boys and men conform to those gendered expectations and institutions.

Furthermore, Kimmel mentions that masculinities come plural form because of it can exist and be interpreted in so many ways. According to Kimmel, masculinity varies from one culture or country to another, through history, society  and finally through one’s personal life. In respecting those different forms of masculinity, we allow social change in the sense that we will allow more man to feel comfortable in their own definition of masculinity, as a result, they will less find the necessity to prove that they are man enough. As the men put it in the episode of ‘Man Enough’, men should become allies to women instead of trying to prove that they are different to women. Instead of conforming to the “bro code”, which implies silence  and inaction when a woman is being harassed by another men, they should not be afraid to speak up and be an ally to women. Therefore, if we allow man to define  and be comfortable in their own masculinity, we will allow such social changes to occur.

In the text, Masculinity, Kimmel states, “Institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of gender order through several gendered processes”. What he means by this is that the difference between gender’s is forked throughout a male or a female childhood. Male are subject and shown to distance themselves from their mothers to develop more masculine traits such as being emotionless, more assertive, and being physically strong. They are showed how they should act based on their sex. If you are a male you are encouraged to pursue a masculine career path such as engineering. Meanwhile, if you are a female, you are thought to follow a more feminine career such as being a nurse. Men are thought that to be more masculine they must be physically stronger than females, should have sexual conquests, and should like sports and cars. In the 4th episode of “Man enough”, fast cars and women are seen as objects. Men are taught to need to like sport cars and girls, and wanting to have them, therefore viewing them to be similar and view them as objects.

Later on in the text, Kimmel states,”Understanding how we do masculinities…opens up the unimaginable possibilities of social change”. He uses the plural term of masculinity, “masculinities”, since there is more than one definition of masculinity. To be masculine varies between different cultures, and countries. Being masculine in Germany is different than it is in a tribe in an African tribe in the Republic of Congo.

For generations men have been the majority worker, but women also have the same problem. Everyone been having difficulty and advantages on different things, but society see advantages by gender. Like a secretary being a feminine job. There are men out their who would enjoy being a secretary but the bias barrier of being judge or the reaction of different people.

Kimmel explains genders as institutions as like a practice, a law between genders. There’s a rule that is followed by everyone who wants to be comfortable. Comfortable in a way that people accepts your job as your gender and not comfortable to you. Women doing sports or being a business woman. These are just examples that surprise people who have lived through those rules.

After watching “Man Enough” Episode 4, that I’m still healing of it. These mental laws that no one said or done. Institutions that we follow are to live our best lifes and for us to be the top of society and in the economy. Rules that makes men to make the choices, hide their emotions and not able to understand women. These rule makes us as object and not just women. “Women have to watch over men and protect against men.” Said in the documentary. Also hiding the fact of listening and understanding one another.

I think what Michael Kimmel was trying to say, in his text “Masculinity” is that the society you live, and the people around you are the ones that tell you how to act based on your gender. Then, thanks to the information that the people around you have given you on how men and women should act, you will most likely tell other boys and girls how to act as well, therefore, reproducing the “gender order” (Kimmel at al 2000). In the movie, from a young age, boys have been socialized to be aggressive, and emotionless, but also to be the protector and the provider for their families. Then, when they grow up, they will probably pass that way of thinking on to their kid as well.

Kimmel uses “masculinities” because each culture’s definition of a man is different. Kimmel mentions it himself, adding that the definition is a model for people, mostly boys, to compare themselves against to grow and know what a man is in their culture (Kimmel at al 2000). In the documentary “Man Enough”, there were two types of men that I was able to pull; there was the violent and emotionless predators and the “Allies”. Most men act like the predators to be accepted in the group because as a human, we crave that sense of belonging. Therefore, whoever is the “Alpha” of the group is the model for the others. However, if young boys see their idols do something different than the Alpha’s acts, they might choose their idol instead of the Alpha, because of the platform that the idol has. That’s why, at the end of the documentary, they mention that people should “Grow, Share, and Encourage” so the people can learn to respect others.

Some gendered jobs are rooted in stereotypes and are linked to a persons behaviour or expected role. Michael Kimmel explains that, “Institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of the gender order through several gender process”, meaning society only accepts what a man or woman “should” act like based on the characteristics of their gender, or in some cases, their ability to see who is more fit to work in that specific institution; whether it be at a public workplace or a job they hold at home. For example, some may think that a man should strive for jobs that are mostly dominated by males, or might have physical characteristics that suit the . Who says that a man can’t work as a nurse or a woman can’t work as a car mechanic? Interestingly enough, society continues to pressurize male and female dominated jobs with less credibility instead of influencing people to choose whichever domain they’d like to pursue in, no matter the gender. The 4th episode discusses how men feel victimized by the pressure of society’s stereotypes and how they feel like they must act a certain way to fit in and be a man.

Is their solely one true definition of masculinity? No, it differs from person to person. A man can be whatever he chooses to be. The same concept applies to women. A woman can choose not to act “feminine”, so does that mean she’s not a woman? When talking about masculinities, we refer to the different ways of being a man. Boys learn “appropriate gender roles” according to expectations of society and the influence of their peers. The documentary mentions how men feel trapped in a box. Inside the man box, their is a list of roles that demonstrate conventional masculinity, which makes them feel forced to be, act and behave exactly like the list of roles presented in the box. Women and men continue to struggle with feeling forced to act perfect. Someday, I hope that society realizes that being a perfect man or woman is just being yourself.

What Michael Kimmel means by “Institutions accomplish the creation of gender difference and the reproduction of gender order through several gendered processes.” is that our society is separated into genders such as men, women and other genders which then creates a gender hierarchy which then gives birth to a gendered system in the society meaning that some processes, such as some teaching/education or jobs, are going be based off of or aimed at one main gender. Moreover, women are disadvantaged when it comes to finishing their studies at an early age compared to men because they have certain responsibilities such as taking care children after labor while the men provide for the family. This shows how women have less time to “live” their lives than men do.

One way this can relate to the “Man Enough” episode is through the different definitions or characteristics that society nowadays ties into masculinity, because nowadays basically we define men as the opposite of women and as people who dominate. Men are defined as the dominant gender of society, as superior to women and other genders which form the gender hierarchy. Moreover, an example of a gendered process that young boys go through is when making friends: they avoid making friends with girls because of the code that “boys and girls can’t be friends”.

Kimmel uses plural “masculinities” because there isn’t only one definition of masculinity. It differs in each culture or country. For example, what it means to be a man as an Italian doesn’t exactly mean the same as being a man in America. The term masculinity and its definitions in the episode is brought up a lot. They say to be a man today is to be strong, to not show emotion or to avoid anything feminine. That to be a man is to be sexually dominant, that you can’t just be “friends” with a girl. In the their discussion they say that all these definitions are what oppresses men and causes them to be less open about their emotions which then causes them to feel alone and helpless, because they feel like they would be judged and seen as weak by society.