In class we were discussing how TV shows and movies help create the definition of masculinity. A majority of the examples we came up with were all about men being strong, tough, and dominating. I decided to analyze a few kids movies to see if I could find the "definition" of masculinity in these as well. The first movie I watched was How To Train Your Dragon. I have seen it before and I remember the main character being made fun of for not being "viking-like". Even this cartoon had a definition of how to be masculine. The main character, Hiccup is the example of how to be a subordinate male. His own father, who is a good example of a dominant male type, tells him that he is a sad excuse for a Viking which translates to being a sad excuse for a man. In this movie the Viking culture represents masculinity. Even the women of the tribe are tall, strong, tough, and sometimes slightly dominating. All of these things are what Hiccup is not. Even the girl, Astrid, in his dragon training group is represented as tougher than he is.
The first thing that indicates to the audience that Hiccup does not fit into the dominant male group is his size. He is small and scrawny as compared to the other Vikings who are big, muscular, and tall. The second thing that is shown to the audience is the fact that Hiccup is uncoordinated and can't catch a dragon. When he finally does catch a dragon he doesn't have the heart to kill it marking him as subordinate once more. Everyone makes fun of Hiccup for not being more "viking-like". This ridicule helps educate the audience that it is better to be more masculine which means being rough, tough, muscular, and a dragon killer. Although by the end of the movie Hiccup displays certain masculine traits that help redeem the fact that he was a subordinate male to begin with. Hiccup exhibits extreme bravery and cunning which are valued traits and therefore seen as "masculine". These traits are greatly praised by his group and they finally begin to accept him.
Another children's movie I watched that defined masculinity as being big and bad was Beauty and the Beast. Gaston, the main man after Belle is large, strong, and tries to be very dominating of all the women he meets.
At some points he is almost violent towards Belle when she refuses to marry him. Gaston is made out to be the best and an all around wonderful guy who is loved by all. He is painted as the character that everyone wants to be. Big, tall, and a hit with the ladies. His sidekick is a perfect example of the subordinate male that no one wants to be. The sidekick is small, unpopular, and ugly making Gaston look even more manly and dominant. The Beast is an even better example of "masculine". The Beast is a metaphor for being manly. He is aggressive, large, strong, and tries to control Belle. When the Beast starts to fall in love with Belle and show emotion he becomes human again which marks a step down from being a dominant man.
Socialization about how to be masculine starts at a young age and is helped along by movies like these that show "manly" men as being strong, tough, tall, and dominating in some way.
It's good that there are all these movies directed towards younger kids to show them how men are suppose to be masculine. Sometimes I think they give off a bad side of masculinity. An example is Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, he is this strong masculine, good looking guy who everyone wants to be. I feel like Its almost telling kids, oh be like this and you will be the best. I think it gives these boys ideas of how they are suppose to be when they are older. They might see how Gaston acts towards Belle and they might grow up to think that is fine to act like that. Parents also play a big role in what their children act after watching these movies. Some parents especially dads think its ok for their son to act masculine and to grow up to be a tough guy. What if their kid doesn't want to be masculine, they have this pressure from their dad and watching these movies they feel like they are expected to act a certain way. Parents should let their children know that they can be who ever they want to be and they don't have to be like the masculine guys in the movies.
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