It seems like men are always expected to be superheroes, even when it's virtually impossible to have super abilities. This expectation may have been a little off, but they are expected to be extremely masculine at all times. The problem, however, is that masculinity is a social concept that could be defined as what society expects men to behave like, strong, bread-winning, and always emotionally tough. Personally my opinion on this is that it is complete nonsense. Men should be able to feel however they want, not feel cornered, and some men who are okay with being a brute need to take a deep breath. Let's start with a negative example of masculinity that promotes it in all the wrong ways. In the color purple Mister is a great example of what men shouldn't be but seem to be encouraged to do. Earn money; he is the head of the house; yet he abuses his wife; he treats her like nothing more than a maid; it's a bit like she's subhuman; he's a man so he's obviously better. Once he even beats her because she went to check the mail (Spielberg). It doesn't match what men's expectations should be. It's a shame that society's opinions on men influence opinions on women and vice versa. Men should be encouraged to be strong by choice, not taught that they must influence a sense of power over others. They should be encouraged to help provide for a family, not that they should be the only provider. Taught that she is equal to a woman, not that she is some kind of subhuman. I recently read an article about definitions of gender roles. There are also examples of a little boy named Jonah who always preferred pink, dresses and dolls from an early age (Newsweek Staff). Instead of imposing baggy shorts, trucks, and soccer balls, she made a nice... middle of paper... king ostracized for not fitting into gender roles and society's expectations. Schools send messages to kids that will dissuade them from wanting an education. It would be wise for society to start re-evaluating the definition of masculinity and how they treat those who don't conform to those expectations. Works Cited Health Day. “Grades can suffer when teens are bullied.” News from the United States. August 23, 2011. USNews & World Report. March 10, 2014. Newsweek Staff. “Rethinking Gender: What Makes Us Male or Female?” Newsweek May 20, 2007.Spielberg, Steven dir. The color purple. Perf. Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg. Warner Bros./Amblin Entertainment, 1985. Weiss, Bari. "Camille Paglia: a feminist defense of male virtues". The Wall Street Journal of December 28. 2013.