1. First things first, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Well, besides watching TV, which, I have to admit, has consumed my life. I like to write when I can but I’m very much into photography. Some reading here and there, you know just stuff like that.
2. Define masculinity in your own words:
To me masculinity doesn’t really exist; it’s just something that a lot of societies have made up for how a man or anyone who associates with the male gender should act. Certain roles that a man takes; stuff like that.
3. Name someone of the male gender you aspire to be like and why?
To be honest my dad. Just because he has a lot of good morals. I don’t aspire to be like him for any masculine reasons as much as his morals to help people and be kind. Just the simple things that we should all do.
4. Can you recall an incident when you were told to act more “manly” or you felt like your masculinity was in jeopardy?
I can yeah. I hate roller coasters and when I was in elementary school we took a field trip to Knots Berry Farm and there was a roller coaster that my friends wanted to go on but I didn’t. They kind of pressured me into doing it.
5. Do you think the role of masculinity is changing in society? If so how?
I think it is, slowly. It hasn’t fully gone away. We still have some stereotypes with gay people and all that other stuff but I think we’re getting there because if you backtrack to an earlier time the man would be out of the house and the woman’s job would be to cook, clean and take care of the kids. The man would fight in war. The man would have the job. And the man would do everything that has to do with “masculinity.” I think while sexism goes away so does masculinity.
6. How to you think the media (TV, internet etc.) effects masculinity?
Well, there’s always sexism and stereotypes on TV and the Internet. Aside from that, there have changes even something simple things like video games. If you’re playing a game where you can be a first person shooter you can now choose for your character to be a woman. That is definitely a step forward. And now women are encouraged to enlist in the army and a man isn’t really obligated to do something “manly.” I think we’re kind of leveling out.
7. How do you think male and female views on masculinity vary?
I think the male population has more of a strong view on masculinity. Most of my friends are girls and they don’t really care how I act. What I’m getting at is the fact that at one point most of my friends were guys and they really did push me to do more masculine things, like the roller coaster.
8. Do you think masculinity is a learned behavior or something genetic?
I think it’s both because a man still has biological factors of why a man does things that are more violent or take more strength. This is just because of things that happen after puberty. There’s that and the mixture of what society has deemed a man to be.
9. Do you think your sense of masculinity has changed over time? If so, how?
When I did have more friends that were guys I did think like that a tad I have to admit. I didn’t think full on that women are women and men are men but I was kind of the kid that would succumb to peer pressure when it came to doing manly things. Now I know that I’m just me. I can’t really be filed into something as stupid as what gender you are. I think you’re more you and what sex you are plays a very small role.
10. Do you have anything else to add?
With times changing and sexism fading away I think we are leveling out and I think that with masculinity not being as big of a factor gives leeway for people to be more unique in their personality and actions.
