Men Who Defy Gender Stereotypes

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

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Gender roles have always been prominent within our society. Certain societies have different expectations as to what gender roles are acceptable and which are not. The behaviours in these gender roles must adhere to that society's norms. Our societies have through out time imposed expectations on the behavior of the members of society, and thus the gender roles of these individuals, resulting in prescriptions regarding who we are and how we should act. Starting with the belief that women are generally more gentle and nurturing than men, people construct a socially supported ideal that says that women should be gentle and nurturing and should not be harsh or aggressive. Men have always been identified as the less sensitive gender, the macho man that wears his masculinity on his shoulder. From childhood being raised to always maintain his maleness and his sense of being strong, heroic and assertive. With the passing of time, these roles have begun to diminish more and more.

Surveys have shown that men said they were happy to share childcare and domestic chores with wives who work outside the home. Men have in recent years grown more comfortable with defying the gender prototypes of being macho. Take for instance the newly accepted trend of metrosexuality. The metrosexual is the new man of the millennium. He is as they say just as tough inside, but softer around the edges.

The word metrosexual is a noun that describes an urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance. Not surprisingly, the metrosexual has its origins in France, using the chic, fashionable, sexually ambiguous city of Paris as their base, the metrosexual fad exploded all over Europe and now has taken over the world. Due to gender roles, feminine and...