Masculinity in Steel Magnolias

As I’ve had my go at Feminism in The Hunger Games a few weeks ago, I was definitely interested to voice my opinion on masculinity in movies. This week, Cinema and Society class got me thinking beyond the gender gap but  on the “expectations” we have going in on powerful males, and male feminism through gender socialization. Gender socialization starts at a very early age, where people learn the norms related to sex and gender within a social construction.

            Where the 70’s was an embrace of feminism, the 80’s was definitely the decade where films attempted to “re-masculinize” men. Both movies in comparison are Herbert Ross directed films, one of which was “Play it again, Sam!” (1972, staring Woody Allen) was centered on a the male (feminine, looking for a partner) lead, “Steel Magnolias” (1989) on the other hand, was very feminine but also questioned masculinity. For example, the movie’s opening shot is a women screaming because of male characters shooting at birds while they  are getting ready for a “pink and blush-y” wedding. 

            It was listed as one of the 10 movies that make men cry: “"Steel Magnolias"… is another one of those movies that will just tug at your soft spot. Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, and Sally Field bring on the tears, whether you're a man or a woman.”

 

The Funeral Scene

         

              One of the most poignant quotes is from Sally Field’s character M’Lynn Eaterton, who addresses the divide directly: “I find it amusing. Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something. I just sat there. I just held Shelby's hand. There was no noise, no tremble, just peace. Oh god. I realize as a woman how lucky I am. I was there when that wonderful creature drifted into my life and I was there when she drifted out. It was the most precious moment of my life.”

The idea widely accepted idea for men was that it was only acceptable to cry during a victory. In an article entitled “When is it Okay for a Man to Cry?” by the Art of Manliness (I kid you not, this is what the website is called).

The list names a few:

• Shawshank Redemption (Prison, Victory)
• The Pride of the Yankees (Victory)
• Saving Private Ryan (…)
• Braveheart (Victory)
• Friday Night Lights (Victory)
• We Were Soldiers (I mean…)
• Gladiator (Victory)
• The Champ (Victory)
• Glory (Need I go on?)

And also goes on to list the movies that men should never cry during:

• Steel Magnolias (feminine)
• Little Women (feminine)
• Jerry Maguire (male femininity)
• The Notebook (TEARS to no end) 

 The funny thing is, that it seems second nature to dismiss Steel Magnolias as a movie purely for the enjoyment of women. In an article on the American Politician Cory Booker, Jezbel’s headline reads: “Watching Steel Magnolias Makes Him Cry: Cory Booker is Just like Us.” To which, I conclude that the line between masculinity and feminity is thick, it’s definitely crossed in certain movies. (Or perhaps just a PR strategy to get people to like Cory Booker.) Whichever it is, Steel Magnolias is still an exceptional film (as is everything else Sally Field has appeared in.)

 

Pictures credit: TriStar pictures (Steel Magnolias) and Paramount Pictures (Play it Again, Sam!)

The Sensitive Man

In a sociology class this month, I decided that I would dive into the world of Woody Allen films. I had just watched Annie Hall and felt like my world was changed and then, I only wanted to watch movies with interesting plots and stories.

So I started with Manhattan and Small Time Crooks and I was more than entertained. My mother, who had no idea that I had been spending my time at college watching movies, told me over the phone once about a new movie named Midnight In Paris I soon found out that Woody Allen had directed it.






The beauty of Woody Allen’s movies is that it has not only taught me a lot about the sensitive man but the women in his movies and what they want. In all the relationships that his character enters into, the women are at first attracted to his sensitivity and quirkiness, but then grow bored of how his life is without any excitement.

Considering that I was already on a roll with all of these movies and my picky mother herself said that the movie was “sweet,” I could not wait until I could watch the movie for myself.

I borrowed the DVD and slipped it into the CD player on my laptop the minute I got to my room. I fell in love with the Paris like I never have before. Images one after the other filled the screen.

Owen Wilson is the new Woody Allen. The awkward manner in which he walked and the way he constantly over analyzed things, was true to the character of the now 77 year old. Throughout the movie, Wilson’s character Gil is a man who is in love with the glorious 1920’s American literature age. His emotions and thoughts are at the center of the movie’s agenda the way a chick flick would be for it’s female lead. Because of people like Gil, women have begun to accept and even embrace a new definition of man. It has become alright that men should be emotional and be able to cry at any moment and movies like this have been crucial to this change in society. I don’t know how I feel about this change. Sometimes I wish men would just own their manhood and be more stable than a woman but then, too many times I’ve wished that men could be a little less brick-like. I guess that’s why the hybrid man was invented by society.