Lack Of Masculinization Research Articles

Feminization of social play behavior depends on microglia.

Many sex differences in brain and behavior are established developmentally by the opposing processes of feminization and masculinization, which manifest following differential steroid hormone exposure in early life. The cellular mechanisms underlying masculinization are well-documented, a result of the fact that it is steroid-mediated and can be easily induced in newborn female rodents via exogenous steroid treatment. However, the study of feminization of particular brain regions has largely been relegated to being "not masculinization" given the absence of an identified initiating trigger. As a result, the mechanisms of this key developmental process remain elusive. Here we describe a novel role for microglia, the brain's innate immune cell, in the feminization of the medial amygdala and a complex social behavior, juvenile play. In the developing amygdala, microglia promote proliferation of astrocytes equally in both sexes, with no apparent effect on rates of cell division, but support cell survival selectively in females through the trophic actions of Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNFα). We demonstrate that disrupting TNFα signaling, either by depleting microglia or inhibiting the associated signaling pathways, prevents the feminization of astrocyte density and increases juvenile play levels to that seen in males. This data, combined with our previous finding that male-like patterns of astrocyte density are sculpted by developmental microglial phagocytosis, reveals that sexual differentiation of the medial amygdala involves opposing tensions between active masculinization and active feminization, both of which require microglia but are achieved via distinct processes.

Dissecting Hegemonic Masculinity in Khaled Hosseini’s 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'

Hegemonic masculinity explains the nexus between gender roles and male dominance over women and other minority men, determining their position in the social strata. Over the years, masculinity has been weighed as an amalgamation of these three attributes: strength, honor, and action. Lack of these qualities contributes to the emergence of toxic masculinity that dissects the notion further into lack of masculinity in the first place. This paper examines the existing gender roles in a contemporary patriarchal society, as depicted in Khaled Hosseini’s laudable novels, The Kite Runner, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Study of the former novel delves deep into Amir's struggle with internalizing the masculine codes of conduct that are set and followed by the patriarchal environment he grew up in, especially under the wing of his macho father who favors the housekeeper's boy, Hassan, more than his own son. The relationship of Amir’s father with Hassan leads to the resultant jealousy felt by Amir, making him act out in toxic manners. This dissertation argues those emotions of expectations of a father and the subsequent anxiety faced by sons in making their fathers feel proud of them. It also questions the idea of hegemonic masculinity and the pressure it builds on young boys, and how inadvertently, it makes them feel different from societal “ideal” men. This idea of masculine hegemony gets furthered in Hosseini’s second novel that investigates the causes of hegemonic male dominance and the consequent sexism observed in Rasheed's treatment of his wives. The research widens its scope to toxic masculinity and generational oppression of women. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to scrutinize traditional masculinity and what it really means to be masculine.

The Sokol Movement, the Sokol Culture, and Gender Relations in Bohemia and Moravia from the 1860s to the early 1870s

Socially constructed gender relations are explored by the example of the Sokol (Czech for “falcon”) movement and the Sokol culture in Bohemia and Moravia in the 1860s and at the beginning of the 1870s. The Sokol clubs combined Czech nationalism with gymnastics. The study is based on the analysis of newspapers and other primary sources. The majority of Czech nationalists followed the pre-modern gender discourse, which implied the subordination of women. This discourse included the idea of male virtues that influenced the image of Sokol as the embodiment of Czech national masculinity. The Czech nationalist image of Germans, as well as the German nationalist image of Czechs, was associated with the others’ lack of masculinity. Another important component of the Sokol identity was the sense of beauty. Although nineteenth-century society had acknowledged the existence of only two genders and had denied the possibility of gender transition, there were some cases of crossing traditional gender boundaries. The role of women in Sokol events reflected gender inequality and gender stereotypes. As a political religion, nationalism assigned political meaning to the romantic relationships between men and women. The positive approach of Czech nationalists to the women’s movement was to a great extent caused by the mother’s role in the formation of the child’s identity. Sokols cooperated with the Prague American Ladies’ Club and supported the Gymnastic Club of the Ladies and Girls of Prague (1869). This club sought to avoid public attention, didn’t use the masculine elements of Sokol culture and promoted gymnastics as a part of female education. In the late 1860s the club was the only one of its kind in Central Europe. Limited dissemination of the modern gender discourse and its interrelation with the premodern one corresponded with the intermediate phase of modernization processes and their non-linear nature.

‘Be a real man for our motherland’: Masculinity and national security in Chinese Korean War films

There has been increasing societal discussion and criticism on the ‘lack of masculinity’ among Chinese young men. In response, the Chinese Ministry of Education in 2021 advised schools to ‘foster the students’ masculinity’. The Chinese National Radio and Television Administration also set strict rules for casting and choosing performing styles, custom and makeup in order to eliminate the ‘abnormal aesthetic’ and the ‘male feminization’ in Chinese television, film and advertisement. At the same time, various war films and television shows present characters and circumstances that highlight an ‘ideal’ masculine archetypes as well as the quality of a Chinese male character – patriotism, heroism, selflessness, strength, loyalty and intelligence. This article examines and compares the male images in two Chinese Korean War films, Shangganling and Changjinhu. It analyses the changing portrayal of male war characters based on three levels of analysis, namely nationhood, leadership and individuals. This study argues that the ‘masculinity crisis’ has led to the securitization of Chinese masculinity, a process and outcome driven by the Chinese government’s continued efforts to control and channel the broad social and cultural changes which have impacted popular culture, sexuality, gender and women’s rights and roles across Chinese society over the past several decades.

Appraisal and coping with sport identity and associated threats: exploring Chinese fans reactions to ‘little fresh meat’ in NBA advertisements

ABSTRACT Research question Contextualized in Chinese fans’ backlash of NBA advertisements’ featuring Xukun Cai, an effeminate idol belonging to the stigmatized ‘little fresh meat’ group, this study explored the occurrence of multiple identity threats of sport fans and coping strategies. Research methods 2289 comments were collected from the NBA fan forum for thematic content analysis. Results and findings This study identified two identities under threat. Fans appraised Cai as a threat to NBA identity due to his lack of basketball skills, NBA involvement and NBA-equivalent stardom, and a threat to their masculinity due to the idol's and his fan group’s lack of masculinity. Fans used outgroup derogation, ingroup criticism, social support and humour to cope with the threat. Implications This study was the first to explore a threat to multiple identities of sport fans, which may guide future studies on the interconnected nature of sport identity and other identities. This study revealed that sport identity plays a buffer role on sport entities in undesirable conditions. To minimize the occurrence of multiple identity threats to fans, marketers may need to get more involvement in fans community to know about how their brand is perceived when developing marketing communication.

Ancient Roman Naval Rams as Objects of Phallic Power

AbstractPolyvalent meanings behind naval ram displays were prevalent and ingrained in the Roman world, especially at Octavian’s Campsite Memorial for the Actian War. Naval rams and their display alluded to gender and power discourses within Roman society. These discourses included Roman notions of sex, penetration, domination, phallus size, and ideas of achieved hierarchies of masculinity. Analyzing ram displays through Roman perceptions of gender and sexuality, specifically concerning ancient masculinity, reveals that rams functioned not only as weapons of war but also as metaphorical phalloi that embodied and projected immense power. Octavian’s ram display at Actium was used to effeminize Marc Antony through the successful defeat and figurative castration of his fleet, which was done by cutting off the rams from the bows of the warships. By exhibiting the rams as such, Octavian asserted his own impenetrability and masculine virtue, which simultaneously promoted Antony’s penetrability and lack of masculinity. In choosing the largest rams, Octavian implied that his masculine prowess was invincible. The ram display unveiled Octavian’s phallic dominion over all other Greeks and Romans. As Octavian’s naval ram display was the largest and most impressive of the ancient world, he effectively rendered all previous ram dedications subordinate to his own.

The effect of masculinity threat on transprejudice: Influence of different aspects of masculinity contingent self-worth

ABSTRACT This experimental study examined the moderating role of masculinity contingent self-worth (CSW) in the effects of masculinity threat on transprejudice. One hundred and eighty-six male undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. In the first condition, participants received feedback that challenged their sense of manhood (masculinity threat group). In the second condition, participants received feedback that affirmed their masculinity (masculinity affirming group), whereas the third group of participants served as a control group. The masculinity threat group demonstrated stronger transprejudice than the other two groups, whereas no differences were found between the affirming and control groups. The effect of masculinity threat on transprejudice was particularly strong for participants whose self-worth is readily threatened by a lack of masculinity (i.e., the threat aspect of masculinity CSW). However, individual differences in the boost aspect of masculinity CSW (i.e. the extent to which a person’s self-worth is boosted by confirmations of masculinity) did not moderate the influence of masculinity threat on transprejudice. This study replicates previous evidence that masculinity threat is a cause of transprejudice, whereas it highlights the distinction between the threat and boost dimensions of masculinity CSW by showing that the effects of masculinity threat were only moderated by the threat dimension.

Gender-related differences in the use and perception of verbal insults: the Bosnian perspective

Abstract The paper explores potential gender-linked differences in the use and perception of insulting language among Bosnian university students. The respondents were asked to provide one-word answers to four questions about the worst male-directed and female-directed insults, and about one-word descriptions of a male and female person who they view as the most detestable. The results indicate that the male and female respondents have a similar perception of the worst male-directed (lack of masculinity) and, to a lesser extent, femaledirected insults (sexual looseness). Surprisingly, insults of homosexual nature, as well as those pertaining to being unethical and physically unattractive were rarely mentioned. The results also reveal significant gender -of-insulter differences in the use of offensive words in reference to the most disliked person, as well as the tendency by the respondents of both genders to avoid using those insults that they perceive as the harshest.

Looking the Part: Negotiating Work Clothes, Gender and Expertise in Retail

This article explores work clothes as a site for negotiations of gender in relation to expertise in retail. Pointing to the importance of studying dress for the understanding of contemporary labor processes, the purpose of the article is to understand cultural and gendered meanings of work clothes by analyzing how workers handle expectations of their appearances. Based on qualitative methods and interviews with workers in fashion stores, beauty stores, home improvement stores, and home electronics stores, three different ways are identified in which workers compensate for the loss of perceived expertise as a result of not belonging to the expected gender. When female workers were the norm, as in fashion stores, male workers had no trouble fitting in, but still compensated by identifying with management. In home improvement stores, female workers compensated for their lack of masculinity by wearing men’s clothing, thereby enacting sameness. In home electronics stores, female workers desired more feminine clothing, thereby compensating for lack of masculinity by enacting difference. These different tactics illustrate the key roles in negotiations around expertise that work clothes play and that the meanings and effects of gendered garments vary contextually.

Mördaren i garderoben

The Closet Killer: Illustrations of the non-masculine murderer in One Step Behind and Night Sister.
 This article investigates themes of masculinity and sexuality in two Scandinavian crime narratives, One Step Behind (Steget efter) by Henning Mankell and Night Sister (Nattsystern) by Unni Lindell. The murderers in these novels reject traditional masculinity and instead invite femininity. This lack of masculinity is emphasized through the heterosexual frame narrative and is also linked to the violent crimes that are committed. Some heavy symbolism borrowed from the horror film genre is also investigated – such as mirrors and masks – and the use of these tropes, I argue, links the homosexual to the monster.

One of the Boys: Homosexuality in the Military During World War II (review)

Reviewed by: One of the Boys: Homosexuality in the Military During World War II Ryan O’Connor One of the Boys: Homosexuality in the Military During World War II. By Paul Jackson. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7735-2772-9. Photographs. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. x, 338. $27.95. Paul Jackson's One of the Boys examines the experience of homosexual Canadian servicemen during the Second World War. Based on the analysis of court martial records, as well as numerous interviews with former servicemen, this is no mere rehashing of the story already told in Paul Bérubé's Coming Out under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two. Besides the most obvious difference, that Jackson studied Canadian soldiers and Bérubé Americans, there are a number of interpretative differences between the works, most notably Bérubé's portrayal of his subjects "as coherently gay and lesbian actors" (p. 21), whereas Jackson provides an all-encompassing definition of homosexuality "as the ability to derive sexual pleasure from members of one's own sex" (p. 148). Beginning with a review of official military policy regarding homosexual soldiers, the author demonstrates that there was a deeply-rooted fear of homosexuality within the military hierarchy. Based on the belief that homosexuality was a sign of moral weakness and a lack of masculinity, it followed that such individuals should be kept out of the services, for fear that their presence might have a ruinous effect upon soldiers' morale. There was a wide divergence, however, between official policy and practice. Soldiers identified by their officers as homosexual tended to be left alone, provided they were accepted by their fellow soldiers. More often than not, Jackson argues, such was the case. When soldiers within a given unit could not reconcile themselves to the presence of a homosexual serviceman, the latter tended to be transferred to a more hospitable unit. [End Page 1174] While there was a tendency to protect homosexual servicemen from official disciplining, those unlucky enough to face court martial underwent a humiliating process. Utilized in an effort to not only punish the accused but also to deter others from following in their footsteps, such court martials featured denigrating language intended to denormalize the same-sex experience. Those found guilty were subsequently sent to jail, and more often than not placed under suicide watch—a clear testament to the stigmatization of being labeled a homosexual during this period. Jackson's is an important contribution, not only for those interested in wartime Canada and the social history of World War II, but also those with an eye for contemporary public policy debates. Those campaigning against the presence of homosexuals within the military continue to argue that their presence lowers the troops' morale. According to this case study, homosexuality tended to be accepted within the ranks; rather, it was when the hierarchy attempted to root out homosexuals that esprit de corps was negatively affected. A well-researched and thought provoking book, One of the Boys deserves a wide readership. Ryan O’Connor University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada Copyright © 2006 Society for Military History

Gay characters in conventional spaces: Will and Grace and the situation comedy genre

This paper explores how Will & Grace, which has been heralded in the popular press for its positive representations of gay men, situates the potentially controversial issue of homosexuality within safe and familiar popular culture conventions, particularly those of the situation comedy genre. This paper draws on feminist and queer theory to examine the liabilities of relying on these familiar situation comedy conventions, demonstrating how the program equates gayness with a lack of masculinity, relies on sexual tension and delayed consummation, infantilizes the program's most potentially subversive characters, and emphasisizes characters' interpersonal relationships rather than the characters' connection to the larger social world. Additionally it argues that by inviting mainstream audiences to read the program within familiar televisual frames, Will & Grace can be read as reinforcing heterosexism and, thus, can be seen as heteronormative.