Masculinity vs. Femininity

Devor makes a clear distinction between masculinity and femininity. His text depicts the universal stereotype between men and women. The masculine man will have “…aggressive posture, self-confidence, a tough appearance…” While the feminine woman will convey “…gentleness, passivity, strong nurturing instincts…” If these cues are followed, then men and women would be considered “normal.” Each person wants to be normal so they can connect with their innate gender, whether it is female or male. Generally, females are concerned with cooperation and intimacy. Males will focus on their ego and their personal dominance.
Males will follow the traits that define masculinity. In order to be considered masculine, one must physically and mentally represent themselves in a certain way. Masculine physicality consists of holding arms and hands away from the body or sitting with legs apart. This will maximize the amount of space a masculine person can occupy. Taking up as much space as possible shows a sense of dominance, strongly related to masculinity. Masculine people stand and sit up tall, while they will move forcefully when necessary. When it comes to facial expression, it is important that males do not give the appearance of receptivity. Masculinity gives one’s face the characteristics of being serious and stern. Showing a lack of acceptance to others proves dominance and masculinity. Aside from physical appearance, males must communicate in a way which makes them masculine. Those who are loud and assertive embody the stereotypical male. Also, stereotypical males are not very polite and they are known to interrupt during conversation. Lastly, appearing strong and ready will link one with the masculine males, according to Devor.
Within this text by Devor, females represent the opposite of masculinity, femininity. Those who are feminine are physically attractive to those who are masculine. Women will make themselves look a certain way that appeals to men. They are interested in warm relationships with the opposite sex. In addition, women have a strong desire for maternity. It then becomes necessary for the females to create a heterosexual image for themselves that draws men in. Dressing, speaking, and acting in such a way that communicates dependency and sensitivity will attract men. Females cannot follow male traits in order to maintain their stereotype. This means women sit and stand different than men. Women will sit with their arms closer to their body and the legs closed. Therefore taking up less room when sitting, symbolizing less dominance than men. When standing, women are less erect, they do not stand out as much as men. In fact, those who are feminine will stand closer to other people they see as feminine. This is opposite of what masculine people do when standing. When it comes to speech, those who are feminine with come off as very polite. They are not aggressive when conversing and they ask question more often. As far as the sound of the feminine voice, it has a higher frequency than the masculine voice. Overall, masculinity seems to be dominant while femininity acts as the contrapuntal function for masculinity.
My advertisement is by the company Trident and it links greatly with Devor’s text. The ad contains three people, two males and one female. All three are considerably happy, and it is a joyful scenery. The background creates a cool, refreshing feeling for the viewer. To prove this “coolness,” the three models are presented to be dressed warmly. In addition, they are floating above some kind of city. This causes the models to dress as accordingly, as business people, dressed properly. In the top right of the ad there is text, “Trident… Smile On.” The three models above the winter city scene are smiling of course. There are common characteristics between the three people in this ad, but the two different genders have their specific cues. The two men symbolize masculinity, and the one woman signifies femininity, as talked about in Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes.
There are two males who are upright, in the air, and they seem to be in an action position. They are showing readiness while they are not sitting. Their action appearance generates the idea that these guys are aggressive. As the men are in the air, they are posed in an expansive manner. Their legs are very spread out taking up maximum space. One is even kicking, while the other one seems to be leaping. The same goes for the arms of the male models. The male to the left almost has his arms completely spread out. To the right, the male is reaching with one of his arms, taking up plenty of space. According to Devor, it is essential for males to maximize the amount of space they can physically occupy in order to demonstrate masculinity.
This ad relates Trident gum to smiling. However, it is not masculine for men to smile. Only those who are feminine can smile, they are more passive. The two men in this ad have the slightest grins on their face. One can probably argue the these two men are not even smiling. Aside from facial expression, the males are dressed in a very masculine way. Floating above a city, the men are obviously wearing dress suits with dress shoes and their ties on. Clean cut, short hair tops off these masculine men in this Trident advertisement. Trident was very successful in placing the two men into the stereotype of masculinity.
The one woman at the top of this ad was placed in the stereotype of femininity. She is seated in a fine-looking silver chair. She does not show any kind of aggression, opposite of the men. While she is sitting, she fits the feminine cues talked about by Devor. The female is sitting with her arms right at her side and her legs crossed, exactly what was explained in the text by Devor. With the cold setting above a city, the woman is dressed properly, not dressed up though. It is important for a female to dress attractively for men in order for the female to appear feminine. The girl in this as accomplished this feminine requirement. She is sitting with a rather high skirt with tall white stockings. She also has boots, ear muffs, and a vest that are all attractively furry. Her outfit looks very appealing to all views. In fact, one of the masculine men seem to be looking up at this attractive woman. This is because the woman perfectly fits the feminine stereotype explained by Aaron Devor.