Hegemonic Masculinity Summary

In the excerpt from Masculinities, Connell traces the manner in which different forms of masculinity interact and operate within the gender order of Western culture. Within this idea, the notion of "hegemonic masculinity" stands out as the chief dictator of gender relations, both of the intragroup and intergroup variety. Under the understanding that hegemony is the notion of "cultural dominance in [a] society as a whole," I have taken hegemonic masculinity to be the dominant form of 'maleness' within the realm of gender relations and society at large (78). Not only does this practice and perception of superiority work to "justify" the subordination of women, it also succeeds in marginalizing masculine identities that do not fit into the hegemonic mold. For, when men do not abide by the dominant standards of masculinity, they become ostracized and devalued.
This relates to the concepts highlighted in Cahn's (1993) writing on alternative femininities in athletics, wherein we see that women who do not fit the socially ascribed ideals of femininity "suffer from condemnation" and 'othering' (350). Through the exaltation of certain demonstrations of gender and the subordination of others, a message is sent about what traits are truly valued in a society. …show more content…
Here, we can once again observe a similar idea in Cahn's work, which demonstrates how ideal expectations of womanhood transform when man's dominance is threatened, and when "gender and sexual relations" shift (348). Moreover, just as Cahn describes the onset of panic that results from alternative femininities (and masculinities), Connell refers to the "crisis tendencies" that surface when the constructed- and increasingly questioned-gender order is threatened