Examples Of Masculinity

I grew up in a home that was understanding. It comprised of my mother, father, brother and myself. My brother and I played sports, went camping, as well as fishing and hunting with our father and friends. I grew up in Alaska, and it was more of a cultural idea than a masculinity message when doing these events. As I got older and entered junior high and high school, where I was on the football and wrestling teams, the message conveyed from the coaching staff would often be about what it took to be a man, or “a girl can do that better. At home, my mother, even though she would not always be at every event, always encouraged us to do what we desired, but we were to follow through to the end and not quit. Our father was stern at times, …show more content…
I knew I was a male and dressed accordingly and participated in male sports. Everyone in school was required to take home economics and part of the semester was dedicated to sewing. From the boys, there was a lot of immaturities and giggling, but we sewed and made clothing that was useful for us, as well as learning how to stitch clothing and sew on buttons, which have been helpful later on in life. Because of these classes, I took on the role of cook in the family in my teenage years for meals a couple of evenings per week. Cooking meals was not a function or responsibility that was a norm for teenage boys during that period. My mother suffered from severe migraine headaches and being the eldest, I took on the role of caretaker and making sure when she was not feeling well, that household functions ran smoothly. I would like to think that I was never forced to conform to any gender roles by my family, but looking back and reflecting on my childhood, the way those around me behaved, set the tone of how as males we were to act within society. The bravado and showing off in front of the girls to prove our manliness, and show we were not scared by doing senseless daring feats, but at home, it was my mother who would bring reality into it and point out that those things were not