I stumbled upon this interesting article about how we construct gender through our interaction with media.
Could be a good jumping-off place for a discussion about teaching students how to deconstruct and understand what the media is telling them about how to be a man or woman in our society today (and why). It is so confusing for kids (and some adults), and I believe these images are some of the most powerful forces acting in how we construct identity.
No wonder growing up is so hard.
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Here's an observation: A good friend of mine grew up loving men who represented what she referred to as "real men." She had a life-sized poster of John Wayne on her wall and we used to tease her about it. The thing is, she eventually grew up to become a classic overachiever in her life: full-ride scholarship to University of Michigan, earned a law degree, PTA pres., and an outstanding mother of three. All along the way she's kept that ideal of the real man. Well, she found him, and she told me when she joined the Republican Party that what she liked about George Bush was his ability to lead her without her worrying too much. She's a honking huge Republican. I still love her, but I now realize this: she needs that father figure who epotomizes someone to watch over her. And I believe that we sometimes get confused with our perception of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a good person. It's a chasm these guys live in, across and over. How do you listen, act, decide, wear the masculine suit and get respect. I can see why it might be easier to go hide in your parents' garage and invent a energy bar.
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