Blog 3

Prompt 1b “Dude, you’re a Fag” C.J. Pascoe; Chapter 1
“Similarly contemporary meanings of sexuality, particularly heterosexuality, for instance, eroticize male dominance and female submission.” In chapter one, Pascoe opens with a scene from a high school skit that seems to portray aspects of “masculinity.” In this chapter he talks about how masculinity can be portrayed to society, and how it often is seen. I know these things to be true, and the way Pascoe described the scene made sense to me.
Pascoe stated that “the boys shed their last remnants of femininity by ripping off their matching miniskirts” (p. 3). This was something I could immediately relate too. I have heard so many ignorant statements told about the ideas of masculinity and femininity. Suddenly the boys are suddenly men and no longer weak and feminine because they ripped off their miniskirts. This brings me to the ignorant idea I have heard so many people say. People seem to have the idea that if someone is gay they are less masculine and want to wear girl’s clothes! Just because someone is gay doesn’t mean they are a girl or want to act/dress like one! The quote stated above made me think of this idea and relate it to ignorant statements I hear daily. It is relatable, even our professor said his Dad thought he was going to run around in a dress and high heels when he found out he was gay. Our society has a skewed image of masculinity that men have to live up too, and this is sometimes/most of the time mixed in with being gay. Our society becomes homophobic, and suddenly if you are not built, a player, and totally masculine in every way you are gay and might as well be a girl. It is sad, but just makes me laugh that people could honestly think this, but at the same time it is not hard to believe with all the pressures of masculinity our society puts on men.


Prompt 1a “Dude you’re a Fag” C.J. Pascoe; Chapter 2
This chapter presented a new yet old idea to me. I know gender had been engraved in our heads, but every reading I am shocked to see how the author’s present new institutes that help engrave gender roles and identities into our heads. Pascoe talks about the school as a main institute that supports heterosexual and typical gender roles. I have never really noticed this before. Maybe I haven’t noticed it because I am a heterosexual female, so it doesn’t really affect me in that way. However, it does affect me because I am for equality and have many friends with different sexual orientations, so it makes me sad I am blind and so normalized to some of these gender roles. We are so normalized to this heterosexual outlook on life and within school programs, etc that I wouldn’t even know how they could start over and make it equal. It would cause an uproar that’s for sure. Although this is a new yet old idea to me, it is also confusing, because I do not know how one would change these roles and maybe match up boys with boy escorts at events, etc without someone freaking out about it. It is definitely something that needs to be addressed in society, because not everyone is heterosexual, but it is hard to change something that we have all been exposed to and taught since birth.


Prompt 1b “Dude you’re a Fag” C.J. Pascoe; Chapter 3
Chapter three was a chapter that can be seen in everyday life and that makes total sense to me. Pascoe talks about our homophobic society. He mentions how “fag” is the worst thing to call a man, how many men are homophobic, and how it is okay to be lesbian in guy’s eyes, but being gay is disgusting to them. I know so many guys who are homophobic! It is crazy. Or they think every gay guy is going to try to hit on them. My main response to that ignorant thought has become “what makes you think you are his type or that he would be into you?” It’s a great one to throw at them! But seriously, why is it so wrong to be gay or portrayed as a fag?? And now the term fag is used just as a letdown, both genders use this word to bring someone down although they may not believe the person is really a fag. I just don’t understand and I can’t stand how some people are so homophobic and stereotypical. This is something that also puts pressure on men. They have to be completely masculine or they are a “fag,” and the men who are gay (who are still men if they are gay!) are looked down upon by most other men and considered less masculine. But it is alright to be a lesbian, because men think it is hot (only if the two girls are “hot”). What a double standard. This was definitely a relatable chapter and our society really needs a wakeup call and has no reason to be homophobic.


Prompt 1b “The Will to Change” Bell Hooks; Chapter 3
Bell Hooks talks about a topic I have seen much of before. She explains how young boys are the only ones who are able to show their true emotions and their love. I have a little brother, and babysit often, and have male friends. So I am able to see this change a lot. I notice this difference in the different age groups of boys. Younger boys I sit for easily share their emotions: cry, yell, love, etc. The older they get the more “masculine” and out of touch with their emotions they get. The will often get upset with their sister or younger siblings and say things like “why are you crying over that? Stop being such a girl.” This doesn’t mean they have no emotions but our society and idea of patriarchy makes boys feel like they have to be emotionless and not show their desire or want for love. They need to be strong, and emotions make them weak. This idea is ridiculous to me, but is something I know affects our society because it is something I see every day and can relate to.


Prompt 1b “Dude you’re a Fag” C.J. Pascoe; Chapter 4
In this chapter, Pascoe talks about “compulsive heterosexuality.” This was another topic that was very relatable to me. Pascoe tells how young men constantly think and talk about sex in a group of other guys. This was kind of a new idea for me. I knew men talked about sex a lot, but Pascoe related it to showing heterosexuality and being “dominant.” I had recently just talked about the topic of dominance, and it scares me that men look at sex in that aspect. The reason it scares me is because it was recently brought to my attention when talking about rape. Someone stated that rape “isn’t about sex, its about dominance and power.” If our society is bringing men to see power and dominance as such a big part of masculinity and that is getting translated into sex, this is a very bad thing in my eyes. Especially when it leads to rape in some cases. It is so important for men to show their heterosexuality in our society, and by getting with lots of women; this is a way of showing their heterosexuality. However it is also a topic I have seen many times before, men seem to always talk about sex and getting girls. When they do they are praised by other guys, but if a girl “sleeps around” she is looked at as a hoe.


Prompt 2b “Dude you’re a Fag” C.J. Pascoe; Chapter 4
When Pascoe talks about men being different around a group of guys and around their girlfriends and how they changed, I immediately thought of many guy friends I have. Sometimes I have hung out with all my guy friends and I’ll be the only girl, and they will constantly talk about girls and sex, but when the group is mixed up, their personality changes, and when it is one on one, they are a totally different person. Or when with a guy one on one and they run into a buddy everything about them changes in an instant. Most guys I know put on a whole new face to impress their guy friends I guess. Honestly this makes me sad. Because I feel I may know who they truly are, but for some reason they are not allowed to share that with the rest of the world. I know some of my friends are not who they portray themselves to be, so it sucks that they have the pressure to be this “masculine” man who has sex and is dominant to women. It sucks that they feel they have to follow this pressure and be a person they are not.