FREE ESSAY ON IMAGE OF MAN

IMAGE OF MAN

The Image of Man Essay
Throughout the past few centuries, man has been notorious for his masculinity. However,
masculinity was labeled by the changing societies and ideals, creating different aspects
of manliness. By objectifying human nature, people began to stereotype. By stereotyping,
it mad it easier for people to understand by perceiving and to a great extent passing
judgment on another human being. 
The stereotype of masculinity seemed to arise somewhere in between the second half of the
eighteenth century and the nineteenth century. With the beginning of the modern age,
Europe started to enter a more visually oriented age, therefore making the formation of
the male body become key. Europeans began to homogenize, or look at man as a type, rather
than an individual. They believed that there was no reason for individual change and
wanted the men to accept measure up to the ideal of masculinity. Masculinity was
strengthened due to the positive stereotyping, however for those that did not conform to
this label or fit in with the ideal, were negatively stereotyped. Nationalism and
masculinity went hand in hand. As masculinity became adopted as part of the national
stereotype, they initiated their growth together. Mass stereotyping was bourgeois
orientated. At first, mass stereotyping was for intended purposes of being and open ended
process, yet it eventually turned into a distinct ambition. Women, during this period,
projected chastity and innocence. While men and women were thought of as not equal, they
were thought as to compliment each other. Racism, especially towards the Jewish and
Africans, became clear and developed from the judgment of masculinity. Because the ideal
had already been set and put into play, the counter parts, Jewish, Africans, or others,
had no room to advance. The ideal of masculinity started to sway as the Enlightenment
approached and came. The model was of humanistic spirit, rather than the anatomy and
returned to the ideas of socialist men such as Max Alder. However, this shot at changing
the normative male stereotype failed.
The bourgeois was the main component in shaping the "modern man". But, there were
previous contributing factors to the molding of this masculine stereotype. Medieval
ideals lasted well into modern times. Chivalry was a main factor and to be called a
coward was a great insult. The duel had been a ritual since the sixteenth century and was
fought for male honor. Aristocratic ideals consisted of the linkage of blood, or lineage
and descent. Theses ideals were primarily based on warrior caste. The ingredients in
forming this modern masculinity, was through the combination and adjustment of both
aristocratic and bourgeois classes. This merging of classes started to reflect in the way
society saw man. By the end of the eighteenth century the standard of masculinity was
measured by looks, appearance, and behavior. In Germany, the bourgeois male code of honor
was used as a status symbol. Jewish people were gradually excluded. And the elite
fraternities would have male dueling. In France, the duel was not to kill, but to display
manly qualities. By the end of the nineteenth century, the emphasis was basically pointed
at justice and equality. "If a man defends his honor for sole purpose of appearing
honorable, the honor code ceases to fulfill its original function and becomes a travesty.
(20, endnote #21) This justice and equality began when the duelers would handshake at the
end of a match. Duels went on and became a form of exercise and meant not only moral
toughness, but physical as well. The duels along with other undertakings started to set a
standard, which becomes known as the new masculine modern stereotype. The masculine ideal
valued the physical, moral, and visual perceptions, and became a symbol of society and
nation. The Enlightenment focused on the joining of the body and spirit. Johann Kaspar
Lavater's theory comprised of seeing people through their physical, such as their color,
nose, eyes, and bodily structure. He stated that the Greeks were more beautiful than the
people of today and if a man could base his beauty on the Greeks then they would attain
moral posture. This general principle was derived from actual concrete evidence such as
engravings and statues. With the turn of the nineteenth century, came the gymnastics
ideal, which was the beginning of the sculpted body. Sports and gymnastics ranged from
swimming, dancing, fencing, skating, riding, and marathons. Guts Muth, who had later
followers in France and Italy, pronounced, "A fit beautiful body indicates a noble soul."
Unlike other countries, such as England believed in team sports to portray manliness.
These organized sports gave the impression of a "truly chivalrous football player", and
regarded sports as a manly virtue. Men also could not be seen without a women, or be in
isolation. There was a definite sex division, and women were perceived to be a step below
a man. A woman was considered an object of male power. The outsiders, or the countertype
to the modern man was due to one's origin, religion, or language. People that were not
considered in the social norm were the Jewish, gypsies, vagrants, criminals, insane, and
sexual deviants. The Jewish were the main target in German novels in the nineteenth
century, since they were looked at as being without roots, unsettled, and a menacing
presence. Gustav Dore, the creator of "The Wandering Jew", a woodcut, was used in
anti-Semitic propaganda. Anthropologists during the eighteenth century denoted the
difference between whites and non-whites, by pointing out the diversity of the facial
measurements to those of the superior European species.
The Great War gave way to many changing ideas. The old masculine stereotype and
counterpart were being challenged and revised by the new society that was forming. Two
new ideals were also being formed; the warrior and the socialist. The warrior seemed to
add new features to the already existing manly ideal of the First World War, while the
socialist seemed to created a whole new stereotype and rejecting the already in play
normative stereotype. The warrior ideals were courage, sacrifice, and camaraderie. The
warriors considered the war a test of their manhood. To serve a higher force above the
individual was considered the paradigm of warriors, which is then self-explanatory as to
why nationalism and masculinity are so closely intertwined. The Great War had added new
qualities to the ideal of manliness such as will power, hardness, and perseverance. The
qualities that the men used to fight in the war were then taken home with them and used
on an everyday basis. War and the qualities it generated, did not redefine masculinity.
It simply strengthened old ideas. While the war went on, another ideal opposite to the
warrior ideal started to grow. The socialists rejected the war. This "new man" model
consisted of a masculinity based on solidarity, renunciation of all force, and rejection
of nationalism. Marx Adler, an Austrian socialist wrote a book called Neue Menschen,
Gedanken uber Sozialistische Erziehung (A New Humanity: Thoughts About Socialists
Education, 1923). In his book he writes about a "new man" by belief in humanity. French
Communists and German Communists, a second "new man", possess and produce an image of
aggressive virility. The socialists and communist's ideals, although attempted
repeatedly, never become firmly rooted. Both warrior and socialist ideals failed due to
the fact that they were too extreme and too opposed to the already disposition of men and
women. 
The traditional ideal of masculinity is still here today. After the First World War, the
ideal of manliness seemed to get tougher as the war ended. Violence was prone to be seen
in various places such as movies, television, and comic books. Women receiving abuse from
men was found quite frequently after the war, but mainly in the United States rather than
Europe. The "Beat Generation" during the 1950's in the United States, which also destined
the youth of Europe, seemed to have a high experimentation rate. Men were experimenting
with men as well as women, and both sexes with drugs. The music of the time, encouraged
dancing, which in turn encouraged the re-evaluation of the body. Women started to not
follow the fashion rules and would not adorn themselves, while men grew their hair long.
This "Third Gender" as they called it, soon became a widely known mania. Today, the image
of man is based on respectability. The stereotype of man has been around and through
every aspect of society. The question should not be about the stereotype disappearing,
but it eroding. Throughout the years the male stereotype reflected the public image of
manliness. The stereotype signifies one of the most long lasting and essential
conventions of yesterdays and today.
I believe that the world can be a more peaceful place when humans start to realize that
life is too short to be fighting with one another. Respectability rules here too. In
order for anyone to listen and understand each other, we need to respect each others
opinions. I think that stereotyping is an unhealthy idea. When we stereotype we
automatically segregate people for the sheer fact that there is an unspoken rule about
that typical stereotype. If everyone could get past trying to put people in a place and
work on recognizing who they are, I believe we would have a much more peaceful world.
Bibliography
Image of Man: The Creation of Modern Masculinity
George L. Mosse
Oxford University Press, Inc
New York, New York
Copyright 1996