Man Box - An assignment where we had to define the \"man box\" and provide examples etc PDF

Preview

Summary

An assignment where we had to define the "man box" and provide examples etc...

Description

1. The man box is the “box” of qualities and characteristics that men are “supposed” to have in our society. Examples are that they are emotionless/don’t cry, and that they are “manly” (like being outdoors, likes sports, etc). Sexism contributes to this because it pushes men to feel more and more like they have to fit into this box, because if they step out of it, their masculinity is taken from them, and due to the positivity our society puts on “manliness”, men feel threatened when their masculinity is taken. 2. Messages we receive in society about being a girl or acting like a girl is that girls are inferior to boys. However, these messages are complicated, because women are allowed, and even encouraged, to have some traits from the Man Box, but if they have too many, they are given stereotypical labels by society such as lesbian, prude, etc. In comparison, men are not supposed to show traits outside of the Man Box, and if they do, they are labeled “gay” or something similar. Basically, since the Man Box is comprised of all the positive qualities that men are supposed to have, society says it is acceptable for women to have a few of these traits, since they’re positive traits. However, since the Woman Box is comprised of negative traits that women have, men are not supposed to step into that box. But, if a women steps too far into the Man Box, she becomes a threat, so society has to label her with negative (or so society says) traits to force her out of the Man Box. In conclusion, there is a certain piece of the scale that girls and women are allowed to be on, and if they move too far into the “man side” they become a threat, so they have to be pushed back down....