Masculinity and Health Research Paper Final Draft

Wai Sing Lam
November 14, 2010

Masculinity and Health Research Paper First Draft

Men and Women are raised by their parents to believe and feel a certain way. For men, their manliness is put to question by the determination of who is more superior in the relationship between men and women. Men hope to be the more superior over women by focusing on their physical appearance and by showing off their strong and confident personality. This has led to men having shorter life span that causes high death rate to happen. Also, allowing men to focus on their sexual appeal to attract women. Men have lack their interest in their well being and have let themselves face dangerous potential health risks men face. Men have not made the right decision, thus causing many men to show no concern for they own health. In the 2009, Journal of Men’s Health, Men have become focus on their body and physical appearance, in order to please and seduce women and at the same thing be tough enough to fight off bullies. Thus, men have risk putting their health in place, because men are putting themselves in danger of potential injuries. Men focus 100% on body building and 0% on health, because men feels health is nothing too concerning for them. It is, because health isn't an important factor to men that women have lived longer than men. Men desire to show domination over women has caused many men to risk their own health. The more men focus on their body the more likely; they’re going to risk their health through the intent workout they have planned. The more time men focus on their body the more likely he will injure himself. Men having a lot of focus on their physical appearance and risking their life is one of the many negative aspects of being a man

Men relied on their confident personality and physical appearance to impress women and men that they have failed to realize the short life they are starting to develop. Many men have started to work their body in the gym in order to built physical appearance along with their personality, because they wanted to show off how strong and how good they look. While many men focus on their physical appearance they have lack the aspect of taking any advantage towards seeking professional medical health. Men and Women are given equal rights to seek medical help, but very few men have taken the chance to seek help. In Oystein Holter article, Men, Gender and Health 2009- The Norwegian View, talks about men with disabilities and how they are the only ones who want professional medical help. Men that are muscular built do not seek any support or need for professional medical help. Since, these well-built men have no intention of needing any medical help, since they feel it is not needed and it’s not a manly thing to worry about. According to Oystein Gullag Hotler article, “Men, Gender and Health 2009- The Norwegian View” Hotler said, “A good starting point would be to investigate the concept of being 'able-bodied', and how this masculine notion historically informed ideas of health and gender in the information of modern society, or, rather, misinformed them, according to current research e.g. handicap.” “It is primarily men who are able bodied, soldier material.” “On basic level, being able-bodied means not going to the doctor.” “If able-bodiedness is part of hegemonic masculinity, the chances are that men will be less proactive in terms of health.”(p. 102). What Hotler is saying is that disabled men look for medical help, while men that are muscular built are questioned by other men about their toughness. Men who are muscular built men see worrying about health something unimportant and unmoral or not even worth worrying about, because to them it doesn't benefit them with social life. Men believe that their confident personality and physical appearance for superiority over women is important, But, another cause for negativity towards men health is their sexual appeal attraction that could endanger men health and life.

Many men have pursuit in their journey to obtain a good physical image and a great personality to obtain advantage of being a man. But, the cause of this goal is deathly, because men bring on sexual appeal only to transfer sexual transmitted infections or STI in both the man and the women through sex. Men have focus on working their body and their personality in order to flirt with women in hopes to get them into bed for sex. When men have successfully perform their sexual desires to women, they lack the focus about what potential diseases lurk in their body now. Men often don't use protection, so there don't know what diseases they have. Men who do have transmitted diseases don't even bother getting tested or in fact care about health that much that they would pass the disease on to someone else. Many men who are unaware of the disease would continue to have sex with women without realizing the fact that they are passing a dangerous disease on to them. According to Shari, L. Dworkin in her book, Body Panic: Gender, Health, and the Selling of Fitness she said, “In that work, we analyzed how newspapers conflated sexual act, risk, and identity, which worked to disseminate erroneous health information about HIV/AIDS risks and constructed different moral orders depending on the specific interaction between social identities and masculinities (e.g. marginalized/subordinated and dominant) that each athlete offered (according to their race, class, sexuality, gender).”(p. 67-68) Dworkin is saying that athletic men dream about, what type man they want to be depending on their race, class, and so forth. Dworkin continues to mention about how athletic men have show different treatment of women depending on race and class in order to get them in bed. Dworkin does mention that some of these athletic men do care about safe sex to prevent from getting HIV or Aids. Safe sex is much more important, than men focusing on body building to attract women for sex. Men desire for a strong physical appearance and on confident personality to show superiority over women, allowed men to work hard to bring sexual appeal towards women. Another affect towards men health is the lack of focus younger men have when they are raised by their parents.

Men started focus about physical appearance and personality in order to star domination at a very young age. At a young age during their teen years they are taught to be tough and do manly things like be on a sport team. Their parent teaches them to be strong and to take big risk in life, thus allowing many young men to focus on family goals and not their own health. Men taking risks is a sign of family goals, because men must take dangerous risk in order to show honor and respect for their family. Also, it means to show how tough and how much heart you have in the family. In the Ian Ban article, “Elam: Lost City Rediscovered” Ban said, “Attention must be paid to the development of interventions that are sensitive to the aspirations, attitudes, and behaviors of young boys and adolescents. The focus on young men must continue into adulthood, with interventions targeting other community settings, such as leisure facilities, sports grounds and working environments.”(p.12). Ian is saying that young men should be a main concern and focus by the parents and by the people. He feels young men are special and would continue to be look upon as unique and dominant gender if something is done. Ian feels if men continue as the superior being over women, then they would lack the concern for their health and eventually die faster. He is worried about all the young men who are suffering at such a young age. If men could to be the superiority being over women by physical appearance and personality, then health problem will continue, thus leading into men facing potential or permanent health problem overtime.

Men desire to be superior over women and hopes for a better personality will allow them to suffer from many dangerous health problems. Men approaching adulthood will feel various changes and health risk that they fail to realize, when they become an adult. During adulthood or approaching adulthood men enlist in the army to serve their country. Men who become part of this great fight become known as a hero and more importantly a man to be worship and loved. But, during the battlefield fighting a battle isn't a walk in the park. It is dangerous and deathly, since many of the male population end up dying and fail to live their full life. In battle many young or older men end up facing dangerous obstacles and would also face very dangerous or dangerous health problems. Some problems including being sick by throwing up or having itches that won't go away. Other health problem for men can also be costly to prove yourself as a real man and a soldier. These health problem could be forever lasting sickness or it could even lead to men losing a body part, which could most likely be an arm or leg. Some of these men who take heavy amount of injures would be rush to the hospital to get checked out. In Susie Kershaw book, Impotent warriors Gulf War syndrome, vulnerability and masculinity Kershew said, He wanted it to be read and wanted others to make sense of it; indeed, he suggested that he would be willing to undergo an invasive internal exam in order to discover the secrets his body holds.”(p.72). What Susie is saying is that this soldier only worried about his health when it came to him being injured. The quote also says, the soldier wanted the doctors to do test in order to found out what he is made of and if he could stand the battle. Even, after a long battle men still show a positive and confident personality, while at the same time show physical appearance of toughness for superiority over women. But, another issue men face is making bad decisions about their own health, which causes them to die.

Decision making is one of the most important thing in everyday life. Men make good and bad decision in hopes to improve themselves, while at the same decides if that is the best way to go. Men lack of decision is the cause of men lack of awareness, on the health problems they could have affect them, as time moves on. Men who make these bad decision end up with bad habits such as using or dealing drugs, which get them high enough to be violence or even commit suicide. Men who do drugs are mostly adults or teenagers looking for a way to relief stress. But, men who end up doing drugs don't realize the health problems they would suffer if their continue to harass and overuse drugs. Other bad decision including overdrink of alcohol which leads to men physical abusing women and doing things they can;t event remember themselves. People who continue to drink is a sign of bad health as it has the chance to cause cancer. Bruce Campbell in the article, “The success of Men's Educational Group Appointments” Bruce wrote, “Men do not visit physicians as often as women, and tend to under-report their symptoms. Men are more likely to abuse alcohol, use tobacco produces, and often make unhealthy lifestyle decisions, espcially while male bonding.”(p.166). Campbell is saying men do not see doctors very often to know what is wrong with them. He continues to say how men are more stubborn and bad at making the right decision, since many men would end up using drugs substance and alcohol to solve life problems. Men decision to make these chooses are 100% true, because a lot of men who have social life problem use drugs, alcohol, or violence to vent out all they anger, without realizing what physical harm it could do to them. Decision making is a key point to men focus on their personality and their appearance to look strong and cool, but the true cause of superiority by men is their muscular built body or physical appearance to show how much of a real man they are.

The man body is what makes many men seen themselves as the superior force, while they also develop their personality to obtain and sweet talk women, by showing off their well built muscular hardwork body. Every man wants to have a six pack or muscular body to show off toward women. While, many men focus on work out they lack the time to focus any attention on health. Eating too much for men might not be a problem, but lurking women in with their heavy built appearance might be the problem. Men's who focus on they body lack the time to care about their body if they become part of a sport team or if their trying to be built to handle a bully problem. What makes being built a health problem is the challenge of being on a sport team. Like if men are part of a basketball team or football team they will be risking themselves for injury, because other men's would constantly ram and run each other to obtain the ball to score. This violence will allow the body to feel physical cramps or soaring pains in certain areas. Other men's also want the muscular built body out of jealousy, because they see other men get women and be respect by their fellow man. In Natalie Darko article, “Get up and shut up and stop being a fanny””Rugby Union Men and Their Suppression Of Body Anxiety” Darko talked about a student named Pat who said, “My body, my lifting is nothing exceptional on this team, this is part of the reason I train so much; two, three times a day. I want the other boys to look at my body and make compliments. When you don't measure up they will let your know.”(p.335). Darko is explaining how skinner men work out for the power to show off, but doesn't explain how being fit is not for everyone. Pat symbolize a man who follows in someone else footstep in order to achieve his goal, but with the cost of risking his own health in the progress. Men who want to be muscular built are sometimes not capable of handling the training and suffer body harm or event end up damaging a certain body part. Men take the risk of doing something new, but also leads to physical damaging someone health in the progress. Men's determination for physical appearance and personality power over women with muscular builting is the main point to why many men suffer health problems. It is, because they is a health problem where the men body can't withstand the training and therefore, risk the chance of not fully recovering from such an injury.

Men have focus their desire for gender domination though the power of showing off the strong and hardwork of their physical fit appearance and their outgoing personality, while at the same time risk their health and also risk their body to look in a way they really aren't meant to look, because they have been persuade to look that way for someone else to notice and compliment them. Men have been the center of many health problems for many years. In the 2009, Journal of Men’s Health, men have set their goals to body builting in the gym in order for showing off privileges. But, have ultimately put themselves in harm of passing on potential diseases. Men have been the one working hard to have a good physical appearance and good personality to get with women, without seeing the first important thing men should focus on. The health of men should be all men main purpose, before they work up to having a built body and before having a good personality. Health is the most important, because it symbolize the great job that all people did to take care of themselves. Many men believe that worrying about health wasn't a manly thing to worry about, but that's a lie, because without the good will of health once can't exist or function properly to do anything, espically work out to have that six pack that every man wants.

















Worked Cited


Holter, Oystein. “Men, Gender and Health 2009-the Norwegian View.” Journal of Men's Health. International Society of Men's Health & Gender. Volume 6, Issue 1. (2009): 101-104. Print.


Dworkin, Shari L. Body Panic: Gender, Health, and the Selling of Fitness. New York: New York University Press, 2009. Print.


Banks, Ian. “Elam: Lost City Rediscovered.” Journal of Men's Health. International Society of Men's Health & Gender. Volume 6, Issue 2. (2009): 10-13. Print.


Kilshaw, Susie. Impotent warriors Gulf War Syndrome, Vulnerability and Masculinity. New York: Berghahn Books, 2009. Print.


Campbell, Bruce. “The Success of Men's Educational Group Appointments.” Journal of Men's Health. International Society of Men's Health & Gender. Volume 6, Issue 3. (2009): 166-168. Print.


Darko, Natalie. “Get up, Shut Up and Stop Being a Fanny”: Rugby Union men and their suppression of body anxiety.” Journal of Men's Health. International Society of Men's Health & Gender. Volume 6, Issue 4. (2009): 331-337. Print.