The man’s man and the women’s women
Another popular cultural myth for many Americans is that for a male to be a success, he must be a macho man’s man. Schools, family, and television tell children that important males are those who do macho things: compete in manly activities, use colognes with names like “Iron,” get involved in sports, talk tough, own guns, and drive SUVs. They never show their emotions, and they die with their boots on. In contrast, the ideal woman’s woman is soft-spoken, kind, and nurturing, but she is also the practical and competent. She may work, but she is also the perfect wife and mother and is always immaculately groomed. However, she may also be vain, rarely has meaningful thoughts, and never wastes time talking about serious things.
These myths, of couse, affect the way we treat our children, valuing certain things they do and devaluing others. Until recently, it was unfeminine for females to engage in any sport except tennis, golf, gymnastics, figure skating, or swimming. Today they are cheered on in basketball , lacrossw, field hockey, and many other sports. On the other side of the coin, it was not masculine for males to take up gourmet cooking, needlepoint, or flower gardening ( vegetables were okay) . Further, males weren’t very nurturing or emotional, and they talked about big things like jobs, the economy, cars and sports.
However, this myth of the distinctions between the sexes is obviously changing beyond the arena of competitive sports. Female executives are now featured in ads for business hotels boxing, and playing hockey. Female pilots are shown using deodorant, and we see female champs at poker and billiards ( two activities that used to be reserved for men only). At the same time ,men are now expected to contribute their fair share of housework ,and they can be affectionate to their wives and children ,not just their bird dogs. Old myths do not easily ,however, and we still see many examples of the stereotypical macho man and the perfectly feminine women .Beer ads feature retired athletes engaged in a man”s world , bragging to one another over beers or testifying to the effectiveness of potency and erection enhancers. One look at any magazine shows ads pitching their products at people who buy into these images of men and women.
Although gender-bound and stereotypical repersentations of men and women are changing , these image still have persuasive power and are still used to advertise products and promote ideas. Despite reductions in gender differences in job and political candidacy and in gender-related language use, the old sterotypes are still potent persuaders. The major change in attitude towards gender-related issues has occurred in young, college-educated, uppermiddle-class ,nonminority populations. But the far greater promotion of our population still seems to buy into the man’s man and woman’s woman myths. We still see ads for SUVs, assault weapons, and chain saws, all geared toward men; and we continue to see “women’s’’ ads for Victoria’s Secret , Elle magazine, and many beauty products. All of these examples still promote gender stereotypes. Count the number of women’s features or ads in a single issue of magazine like Elle or Marie Claire . Consider a few of the following feature titles from the cover of a single issue of Cosmopolitan; “super sensual Sex-Teach Him Tricks,’’ ‘’A Man’s Body Craves Certain Strokes, Caresses and appeals to the woman’s woman myth we encounter every day. Persuaders will as Americans shift their values regarding gender and other human characteristics, such qs age, single parenthood, and economic status, but their persuasion will reflect the premise that the audience believes. Persuasion is more often a reflection of a culture’s values than a shaper of them.