I recently watched the Netflix documentary Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution. The filmmaker examines masculinity and femininity through the lens of the "hook-up culture" that is epitomized by the experiences of young people during Spring Break.
This documentary is very thought-provoking because it explores the traits of masculinity that our society promotes, the traits of femininity that our society promotes, and examines what happens when these two idealizations of gender come into contact with each other.
I took two main points away from the documentary:
Men are as trapped by gender conformity as women are.
There is a perception that men benefit from gender norms which place them in a position of promiscuous power. However, men are not liberated by their promiscuity -- they feel as much pressure to fulfill their gender roles as women do, and the results can be just as damaging, especially in young boys who feel the need to act out hegemonic ideals of masculinity such as aggression and dominance.
By treating women with dignity, men treat themselves with dignity.
In order for men to respect themselves, they must treat women as complete individuals, and not solely as sexual objects. In rejecting their role as the masculine aggressor dominating the feminine body, they displace the power dynamic that society has constructed , and stake claim to a more balanced and healthy relationship based on equal input.
While this documentary may not be completely appropriate for school-age students, I believe the ideas it discusses are essential to students' understanding of gender and gender roles, and certainly have a place in my classroom.
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