Article Review of: Monster Masculinity: Honey, I'll Be In The Garage Reasserting My Manhood

This article is all about the masculine role of men, and how to achieve and maintain it in today’s world. In the good old days, it was easy for men to define who they were. Being a man’s man was just expected, anything else was not tolerated. Now the roles of men are a lot more diverse, although many yearn for the past.

Over the past 20 – 30 years expectations have relaxed about the roles of both men and women. There has even been a subtle, yet increasing, role reversal. Women can be pretty and strong while at the same time men are becoming more sensitive. They are still expected to maintain traditional role but also blend them with characteristics of the opposite sex.

In many cases this exchange of roles has gone farther than anyone had imagined it would. There is a greater feminization of masculine culture. Men have been subjected to feminine “pollutants” that have changed the way they conduct themselves and caused them to be more of an emasculated man. Some men are ok with the identity that allows them to be strong and sensitive; others have adopted a new lifestyle called a Metro sexual. It is defined as ‘‘a straight, urban male who is eager to embrace and even show off his feminine side, especially when it comes to expensive haircuts, designer suits, and $40 face cream.’’ All of the definitions that are easily found emphasize that these men have a strong feminine side while still maintaining their heterosexuality.

It is a tradition that men are expected to be well groomed without being overwhelmingly concerned about their looks. When a man takes on the role of Metro sexual, his heterosexuality remains but he is now hip and fashionable, similar to a female diva. The movement also affects the roles of women. Although woman still keep their femininity, their role as an authority figure has changed. In many families the decision maker has become the woman of the house. The modern woman has realized she no longer needs a man to rescue her, she can rescue herself.

To combat his loss of masculinity, there has been a resurgence of what is typically thought of as hard core men’s roles. The following networks and shows are prime examples:
• Man Show
• Spike TV
• Monster Garage
• American Chopper
• Orange County Choppers

Men watch these shows to reaffirm that they still have their masculine side and are still a part of the “brotherhood” of real men. The popularity of motorcycles has been a man’s dream since the days following the war when the GI’s came home. This relates to the belief that being a soldier makes you a real man. The same applies to football games being a strictly man sport. The popularity of motorcycles, fighting, and football are often handed down from father to son and grandfather to grandson.

Another love passed down is the interest in working in the garage. It was and is an escape for men to get away from the feminine articles inside the house and do “real work.” Men could pound hammers and cut up boards, which gives them reassurance about their roles. The garage is a place where all men feel empowered.

The author of this article is torn between the two sides. He likes the traditional role but still wants to embrace his changing role. His comment, “Popular culture is the medium through which men reassert their power via the male gaze wherein women are cast in a sharp focus of sexism.” says it very well. Culture in America is shifting its gender roles and expectations. Society will always continue to progress in some way.
I believe that this article is initially for men, to help them see it is ok to embrace their feminine side, while still staying manly. I also think it is a good read for women, to help them understand what men go through. I like that the extended definition for metro sexual is included because I can’t think of very many men who would go to the trouble of looking it up. The author doesn’t use a lot of specific terms but does mention shows that most men have probably heard of if they aren’t regular viewers, such as American Choppers, Monster Garage, and Spike TV.
I like the way the article is put together, it flows well. The information is easy to understand and has very interesting thoughts and ideas. The main point that stayed in my mind was that it is ok for men to be feminine and that shouldn’t take away from viewing them as being masculine. I have better insight now on why my husband and kids watch these shows and why they are important to them. (Tragos, 2009)




References

Tragos, P. (2009). Monster Masculinity: Honey, I'll Be In The Garage Reasserting My Manhood. The Journal of Popular Culture , 42 (3), pp. 541-553.

Hot Wheels

Who hasn’t followed imaginary roads up mountain trails (dad’s leg), through rough terrain (shag carpet), along steep cliffs (the edge of a bunk bed), and many other exciting paths? Without being named Bill Gates, how could you drive a fire truck, Ferrari, dump truck, and classic car all in one day? It doesn’t even matter if you wreck them all – your insurance won’t care.

If only real driving were as simple and fun as it was driving our Hot Wheel cars (Mattel, Inc., 2009) as children. These cars were an escape from reality. This was also an activity that kids and adults could play together. Dad, or even Mom, would sit in the floor and drive over roads made with blocks or humans.

Even though they are meant as a childrens’ toy, their role has changed somewhat. Now, instead of kids fighting over the cars freshly hung on the racks, adults are searching for Treasure Hunts and limited editions. They get very excited when they find a complete set of four. I personally have seen two men in a tug of war over a box on Black Friday. Individual cars and sets have appeared on Ebay and are a staple at most Flea Markets. Unlike when bought as a kid's toy, they must stay in their pristine packages.

As you can see, the Hot Wheel’s role has changed over the years, but they are still as financially popular as ever for the company. It will be very interesting to see what happens next!



Hot Wheels. (2009). Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Mattel: http://www.hotwheels.com/

The "T"

T’s

One of my favorites, and I think a very interesting popular culture example is the T-Shirt. Can you believe this item evolved into what we see today from the 1800’s? Miners would cut apart their union suits (one piece undergarments) and then tuck the top into the waist of the bottoms. This was much more comfortable when they had to be in very hot locations. In the United States, t-shirts gained popularity around the time of the Spanish-American War. Navy men wore the shirts as an undergarment. When they knew their uniform jackets might get dirty, they could remove them and work in their “undershirts.” The name T-shirt was given to this piece of clothing because of its shape.

Finally, in the 1950’s, additions starting appearing on the front of the shirts. The country, and the rest of the world, went wild over the next 60 years. The t-shirt became an early basic form of MySpace or Facebook – it told everyone around us what was on our minds or important for them to know. During the movie Forest Gump, we even got to see how a very popular design first came to be – the Happy Face!

Over the years, some of the other popular items that have shown up on t-shirts are:

· Peace sign

· Favorite sports teams

· Rock/Pop music stars

· Favorite automotive brand

· Political preference or who really ticks you off

· Phrases sure to shock (example- Everything I Know I Learned In Prison)

· Vacation spots

· The best of them all – tie-dye

What started out as an undergarment has now become more of a personal bulletin board.

AS LONG AS WE CAN WEAR T-SHIRTS, OUR OPINIONS WILL BE “HEARD”

T-shirt. (2009). Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shirt

Want a Challenge?

OK…Quiz Time!

Here is your first question – When it is cold out and you need to feel warmth running through you to take off the chill, what would you love to have?

Second question – When you are sick, cold, and not hungry (but know you should eat), what is the first thing you think of?

The answer to both questions is Campbell’s Soup. This is the comfort food that we grew up with. When we needed to feel better, Mom or Grandma would heat up some soup. In the first question, my answer would be Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Nothing was better than coming in after playing in the snow and having a big bowl of this treat, except for maybe a peanut butter or grilled cheese sandwich to go along with it.

The second question is even easier to answer, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup. This has to be the #1 comfort food of all time. Who hasn’t watched a movie or TV show where someone is sick and chicken noodle soup is offered? Of course both of these (and many other flavors) are interchangeable. It is the red and white can, with the gold seal, that says comfort. (CSC Brands LP, 2009) Most people remember the snowman commercial that plays on TV every winter, if not, please go watch it. It is a great symbol of what this soup means to us all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PdeGx1obvc (Chenoholic88, 2008)

It has been as least 20 years since Mom or Grandma have fixed me soup, but I have carried on the tradition. Maybe a week has past since I last fixed soup for my kids. They came over last week and I made tomato soup and peanut butter sandwiches. Both of them remarked on how good it was, just like when they were little. I’m sure when they have kids the tradition will continue. The Campbell’s soup label still brings a feeling of comfort just by seeing it. I can’t even bring myself to buy generic, unless it is for cooking. It just wouldn’t be the same!

Chenoholic88. (2008, Nov 28). Classic Campbell's Soup Winter Commercial. Retrieved Nov 25, 2009, from youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PdeGx1obvc

CSC Brands LP. (2009). Products. Retrieved Nov 25, 2009, from Campbells.com: http://www.campbells.com/condensed_soups_products.aspx

Three Contemporary Icons
The Icons that first stood out in my mind were the emoticons, the Golden Arches, and all the people with headphones. The emoticons are those annoying little facial expressions made from key combinations on your computer such as :), :(, and :D . The Golden Arches are the universal symbol for McDonalds. The people with headphones are usually sporting MP3 players.
Why I Chose These Icons
Emoticons were the first icon that I thought of. I see them everywhere, even at work (on government e-mails). I don’t think that I ever receive a text message or IM without a few at the end. I next tried to think of what kind of symbol I see every day. McDonalds immediately sprang to my mind. I see it at least twice a day on my way to and from work, not to mention all the others I pass throughout the weekends. The last symbol took some extra thought. What symbol do I see representative of our lifestyle. I thought of the people that seem to spend their lives in headphones.
What They Mean to Me
Does everyone use the little emoticons except me? I have been guilty once or twice (ok…maybe more). I know that it can be difficult to express yourself through e-mail or especially in a short text message. The emoticons can help with these problems to some extent. If you say “I don’t think so,” it may sound harsh. If you add a “;>)” wink to it, then the meaning changes to say “just teasing.” Although they are not very professional, they do have their uses.
The giant “M” for McDonalds is all over the world. I have seen commercials and stories that show people from a large variety of cultures visited their local franchise. It is kind of comforting to know that when you visit I foreign country, there is the possibility of at least one place with recognizable food. The headphone craze is just that…craz-y.
Everywhere I look I see people wearing headphones. Even while riding down the road I see teenagers, and sometimes adults, plugged in to some kind of device. I guess what this means to me most is a safety violation. Kids on bicycles or skateboards riding on the road are another safety issue. My feeling on this is probably why I notice their usage so often.


Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon (November 19, 2009)
http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/ (November 19, 2009)
http://cdn.buzznet.com/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2008/05/scott-speedman-bicycle.jpg (November 19, 2009)

"Real" Wrestling

My second choice for my main popular culture topic was televised wrestling, mainly WWE (WWE, 2009). I have always found this “sport” interesting. I have to admit that I am a long-time follower (but don’t tell anyone). I started watching in the days when The Junkyard Dog still had teeth to bite with. The ring had about three sets of bleachers around it with less than 10 rows each. It was shown once a week in a time slot that didn’t compete with anything else worth watching, unless you were a fan of cooking shows or the farm reports. At that time of my life my main use for cooking was how long to set the microwave and did we have both milk AND butter for macaroni and cheese. I also didn’t realize, as a teenager, the importance of crop prices – unlike now.
As the years have gone by, wrestling has grown unbelievably. Ticket prices have increased from “2 free tickets with purchase” to over $30 for mid-level seating. Wrestlers used to follow their managers into the arena with an announcement from the referee on who they were. Now you aren’t anything special without full fireworks and loudspeakers. They even have their own theme songs. The only part that hasn’t changed over the years is the feel of it being scripted.
If one of the aspects of popular culture is that it lasts over time, wrestling certainly meets that requirement. It has been at least 30 years since I first watched it. It doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone but it does have a large following of fans. Even though it seems to appeal more to the blue-collar types, I have to admit that I wear a business suit to the office every day; and still enjoy sitting on the couch, ordering a pizza, and wasting two hours that would be better spent on schoolwork.
There are so many products that have been created to signify just who particular fans idolize. There are items such as T-shirts, hats, armbands, etc. Wrestling has to be one of the top money-makers in the world of popular culture. Even gestures have been created to show alligence, for example, crossed arms for DX and only showing the whites of your eyes for The Undertaker. Wow…I do know too much about this, don’t I?

Works Cited
WWE. (2009). World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

Popular Culture - Meaning & Importance

• What is popular culture, and what does it mean to me?
I see popular culture items as a symbol of an important aspect to a group of people. This can be something written, oral, viewed, etc. It can be anything from a hot dog to Rap music to Mickey Mouse. These items affect the way people act, even by changing such things as their personality traits, speech, and actions. As an example, my 21 year old son still speaks with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s accent at times. We are exposed to popular culture so many times a day how could it not affect us? This can be a good way to connect with others. I believe that in our day to day lives this exposure helps to bond people, groups, and even countries.

• Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to me in a business environment and in my present and future career?
I believe that the United States is one of the most important places in the world to study a wide variety of popular culture studies. Our melting pot of nationalities means there is an almost limitless amount of pop culture icons to learn about. This creates a desire to learn what is culturally important to people from different backgrounds. The awareness can lead to sharing thoughts and having discussions with persons you may otherwise not talk to, many times because you feel there is nothing to say. It is important to be able to relate to coworkers and other people you come into contact with. I plan to continuously seek and be aware of pop culture items from the many nationalities I know now and will meet in the future. I am currently employed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Public Affairs. I am consistently speaking with people from other parts of the country and foreign nations. I think it is especially important to have topics to discuss with a large variety of people. I am the first contact with many of these people and might spend a substantial amount of time with them, while they are either on a tour or just waiting for a meeting to begin. The ability to have knowledge of their popular culture creates a better variety of topics in our interactions.

Welcome!

I'm glad you found the place! My popular culture subject was inspired by all the teenagers around me at home. I have chosen vampires, specifically what I call the "Twilight Phenom."(Meyer S. , 2005) Even to someone who hears the term "Popular Culture" without understanding all the aspects of it, the vampire craze being pop culture would make sense. It has affected patterns of speech, clothing, attitudes, etc. I will be going in to more detail as this blog progresses.

Stay tuned for more...



Works Cited
Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and.