The behavior is called the “Guy Code” and it explains what it means to be a man. For most of the men, being a man means “don’t cry,” never show feelings, show no fear, be strong, and never give up. They are scared to let themselves become free from the societal norms because they do not want to be rejected by other men in the society. Therefore, being a man starts very early in a boy's life. They are pressured from a young age to act a certain way due to fear of society and humiliation by peers. Boys are taught not to cry and not be a “sissy.” If a boy steps out of these rules they are called gay and homo. For example, when going outside, the boys hesitate to wear pink color clothes since society has a concrete belief about pink being the color for girls. Thus, they worry that people will call them “sissy” or gay if they wore them. To prevent the fear of not being accepted by the other men in the society, the boy switches identification from mother to father to become a man at a very early age. Toward the end of the article, Kimmel uses cause and effect to discuss the negative effects boy code can have on men as they mature. It causes them to grow up thinking that showing or sharing their feelings is not right for a man. As a result, they hide their emotion which makes them boys more prone to depression, suicidal behavior, and …show more content…
To be a man, one should follow a collection of attitudes, values, and traits. According to Kimmel’s article, some of the attitudes and traits are that “Boys Don’t Cry” “Size matters” “Just Do it” “I Don’t Stop to Ask for Direction” etc (Kimmel 609). Men are expected to follow certain attitudes that allow them to fit into the society. If they fail to follow the beliefs and attitudes they are frowned upon. As a result, the men are forced to act certain ways to preserve their masculinity. If men cross the line of masculinity they are considered “gay” due to the “gender police” watching guy’s every move (Kimmel 612). Guys are always being watched by other men. As a result, they have to think twice before dressing up. Kimmel shares a story about a boy who decides to not wear pink shorts since that day their class topic was homophobia (Kimmel 612). He automatically realizes that he should not wear it because the class would call him a “gay”. Men are so worried about being judged by others based on their sexuality because they are not supposed to cross the gender boundary line manifested by others. However, if men continue to conform to the societal rules they might face negative