Essay on art and gender

Masculinity is the aspect of having distinctive qualities that are necessary in a man. Such qualities such as physical competence and courage have dominated the masculinity factor in many years ignoring the fact that there are other aspects such as wisdom, honorable and to some extent righteous character that can be used to determine the level of masculinity. In the sense that masculinity majorly focuses on physical fitness then improvement is possible as the buildup of muscles can be attained through physical exercise as well as using some prescribed drugs. Masculinity as presented in the American television has undergone several developments as well as changes in the way it used and the aim to which is used for. Among several years, in numerous television shows masculine aspects are incorporated to pass out certain message in addition to bringing some sense of humor.
In the traditional phenomenon, masculinity was strictly the manly personalities involving only the macho characters that presented a man as not only being muscular but also containing some dominating aspects as well as being self-confident and self- conscious. The main representation of masculinity that appeared in the television in the early years included rugged nature, body hair that included the beard. The dressing code involved open shirts that showed most of the masculine nature of the man with little decorations incorporated in it.
The degree of the masculinity was differentiated in different individuals by their character with attributes such violence, being generally tough and readiness to act in case of any emergency. In the 1970s, most actions portrayed the ruggedness of men as their nature and their readiness for violence. Actors like James Caan as they appeared in action movies revealed that a man was supposed to be faced by many ups and downs and that the security of any woman was to be delivered by a man. The highest degree of masculinity was to be achieved when a man was able to overcome all this life challenges. In action as well as in movies James Caan selected the challenging situation to handle leaving the soft ones to the ladies.
As from 1980s there have been some significant changes in how men are represented in the media and talked about a man being an action hero as well as a big shot. This implies that for a man to be considered real he must be able to succeed in every social activity he undertakes as well as possessing some economic power. Up to the 1980s, masculinity was associated with crisis with men handling confused roles while women took the other part of daily roles that seemed to be more important.
Many changes came into action in the 1990s, with masculinity acquiring a different definition from what was presented in the television. In addition to being always associated with crisis, a real man now was allowed to take all the human characteristics. As well as men are hard and fight their opponents his masculinity can be increased by some sense of humor. The last trend of changes came in after second millennium. The manner in which women are represented in modern situation makes them possess some masculine features. Up to now the perception of masculinity has taken a completely new looks changing most of the traditional feature. Currently superior men have smooth character, short hare and can think swiftly. Moreover they care about their physical appearance, are caring and gentle approach.