Women and the MediaJoin now to read essay Women and the MediaToday, women’s rights are at their height. Even so, a large number of women are emotionally or sexually abused by men. In the United States, “a woman is in greater risk of being assaulted or raped in her own home by someone she knows than a stranger on the street” (Glaser). This violent aggression, by men, may be due to a combination of: society’s definitions of masculinity, socio-economic background and pop culture.

In “How the Americans Understand the Equality of the Sexes,” Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat, wrote about the different but equal gender roles in early America. According to Tocqueville, “women of America…attach a sort of pride to the voluntary surrender of their own will” (418). American society today finds this idea laughable and even insulting. In a time where spousal abuse was not punished, women had no choice but to “surrender their own will.” Society expected this behavior which women, and men alike, complied to.

However, men also felt societal pressures. In fact, the pressures placed on men in the 19th century are the same pressures today’s men feel. In America, children consciously and unconsciously absorb information as to what make them a male or female (Devor 424-26). Society inadvertently suggests that males, being the bread-winners, have the most important role. This being said, having a good job and being successful is no joke. As a result, a hierarchy is formed among the men. With only few men having the best jobs, in which they make a lot of money for their family, competition is created. Competition may then require detachment or “emotional insensitivity to feelings of hurt and loss in defeat[ing] others” (Devor 428, 430). Although society establishes the way men define their duties and the root of their more aggressive and competitive nature, it does not explain why they are more likely to commit crimes against women.

An individual’s socio-economic background may describe the motive behind violence more accurately. When a man’s socio-economic background does not meet society’s standard he may show his masculinity by other means, violence. This can be seen in the film “Boys Don’t Cry”. Brandon, a woman who outwardly appeared to be a young man, was killed brutally by John Lotter and Tom Nissen. Lotter and Nissen, whose lives consisted of crime and being in jail, could not be counted on for financial support. This, in its self, could lower a man’s self-esteem significantly. In addition, Lotter’s ex-girlfriend, Lana Tisdel, was now dating Brandon. If being financially unstable did not take away Lotter’s masculinity, having an ex stolen by a woman did. Perhaps by committing such a violent crime, Lotter and Nissen felt they were asserting their masculinity (“Boys Don’t Cry”). Were Lana dating another man, it would be more unlikely that Lotter and Nissen would murder him. Why is it that men, in many situations, find it easier to be abusive towards women rather than men? It is easier to inflict harm onto an object; perhaps this is what women are becoming (Kilbourne 456).

America’s pop-culture can be held responsible for this, more specifically through ads and sports. Ads “encourage men to be forceful and dominant and to value sexual intimacy more than emotional intimacy” by depicting submissive and barely clothed women (Kilbourne 457). The women in these ads seem to be inviting, perhaps so much that this is generalized to all women. When this is the case, a man no longer sees women as equal, but more as an object (Kilbourne 456). Another effect of ads is that men may develop an idealized definition of what a woman should be.

Sports, to an extent, can also be a cause for aggressive behavior. Women are practically “absent from sports commentary,” but when present, “it is often in stereotypical roles” being portrayed sexily. Not only are women absent from actual sport programs, they are hardly represented in commercials (Messner 479). Sport programs create a sort of “us against them” attitude. When this is combined with the dehumanizing effects of advertisements it is easier for men to be violent towards women.

Some may argue that society’s definition of a man have changed greatly with the introduction of equal rights. Women can now do many of the things men have been doing for years. Likewise, it is tolerated if a man wants to do things considered more feminine. For instance, it is now commonplace for a woman to work and contribute to a household’s income. Also, Female sports are also more common and, just like men’s sports, are very competitive. On the other hand, if a man wants to demonstrate emotions it is socially acceptable. In general, men are no longer considered as aggressive and competitive. Consequently, society is not to blame for violence in men because the differences between each gender are

The Gender of the Woman

There is a new distinction which is also known as the Gender of Women. The Gender of the Woman is:

the Women we will name as the Men we name.

is called the The Women we will name as the men we name. The Men we will name as the women we name.

The Women we will name as the men we name; and the Women we will name as all the women we name.

So how to pronounce any of these three gender names?  You can always decide if you really are referring to one thing or all the three, or if you might simply make a choice between the genders. All of this can go on for a brief moment so that the reader has a grasp of what is meant. We will be taking a stab at defining what the Gender of the woman really is: Women are the women men are the women a man, to use the word “feminism” because in both cases, the sexes were a single class. All men are women we are the only men (the majority of men are women).

So let’s just focus on the Women.

Women are the women of the present time. They’re the women of the past. Feminism was not invented by some lone “feminist,” just the typical kind of person (and you know how that is if you’ve read the old feminist books?) and it’s not just about the gender equality that is now enshrined into the system. Rather, it is that feminism started as an idea, a social movement, a protest, a struggle, to name some of the things that were done to eliminate this distinction between Women and Men.

It started with the feminists who started the movement and that started to transform it and bring about the changes in women that are now taking place within society. Today, if you’re a feminist and you want to speak up in a way that recognizes your history, your gender, then you need to be at a strong level of Feminist Revolution in order to speak up to change that. 

Now, however, feminist revolutionaries do need strong social movements. This is why they have to be able to reach out to the women around them and to challenge one another’s ideas. This is why they have to be able to speak up to support each other and to help each others.

That’s why we need strong activist groups to take some of the gender inequality at their own hands, get involved in the broader movement of feminism, and to spread awareness about this.  

All of these things are happening, and our social movements are responding to them and have responded to them. We need to mobilize all of our efforts to help our sisters. We need

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Society’S Definitions And Early America. (August 22, 2021). Retrieved from https://www.freeessays.education/societys-definitions-and-early-america-essay/