Masculinity has taken many forms over time, we can see it if we compare the male image of two centuries ago with that of today. The second half of the twentieth century was a frantic period of social action. This historic moment brought the hippie movement and the sexual revolution to life. The fight against racial and sexual discrimination has taken hold in the United States and around the world.
From that moment on, the image of man became more diverse, however, it is very rare to find this diversity in audiovisual representations. In the movies, the image of the? The alpha male remains very recurrent, in addition, this image becomes a role to follow for viewers, especially for younger viewers. What does that mean?
- Traditional masculinity indicates that men must have certain characteristics.
- A man.
- To be strong.
- Brave.
- Muscular.
- Practical.
- Rustic.
- In addition.
- A traditional man manages to convince the women around him.
- These women tend to be sexy.
- But weak and vulnerable.
- A large number of audiovisual productions.
- Series.
- Films.
- Comics and advertisements use this traditional image.
In general, one male protagonist achieves his goals based on brute force and mastery of the other, this type of violent character has become naturalized throughout the history of cinema, from James Bond, the original, to all the heroes of Marvel comics, to cinema. like Fast and Furious or Die Hard. The male characters in these films have the same attributes: they achieve their goals by force.
Another important feature of traditional masculinity in cinema is the apathy of the character, the protagonists are often emotionally mutilated by past traumas, which makes them unable to feel love or affection, even if it improves their war skills, it is also very difficult. for these men to explain or talk about their feelings.
This type of man is far removed from any traditionally feminine feature, the feminine characteristics are associated with care at home, partner and children; In addition, traditional femininity is characterized by cowardice, weakness, vulnerability and, above all, lack of autonomy. according to traditional standards it is delicate and dedicated to good work. This type of work includes the care of plants or pastries, for example.
The film Fantastic Animals and Where to Find Them debuted in 2016 and was based on a book by J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter fantasy saga. The film is set in the world of magic created by Rowling. Thus, the protagonist of the story, Newt Scamander, had already been mentioned in the Harry Potter books.
Fantastic Animals tells the story of Newt Scamander, an English zoologist, who arrived in New York in the 1920s in search of a rare animal species, which he considered buying as a gift, and upon arriving in the city, some of his magical creatures escape from the suitcase in which he carried them. In this way, Newt is arrested by the magic police.
Newt meets, through a series of coincidences, pastry chef Jacob Kowalski. Newt and Jacob begin a quest in New York to recover the lost creatures as they attempt to avoid an international magical incident.
Newt Scamander is a curious and kind character. He has dedicated his life to the study of magical animals, physically he is a thin, almost feminine man with long lashes, red lips and a captivating smile, on the other hand, Jacob Kowalski is a great man with a friendly smile. for factory heavy duty, his dream is to establish himself as a cook in his own company.
None of these characters fill the profiles we talked about earlier, both of which are characters focused on their goals, regardless of the standards set by society.
Movie characters often become heroes or role models for viewers. Since its inception, cinema has captivated audiences by showing a way of life, so viewers often unconsciously reproduce in their daily lives certain attitudes typical of the characters in the films.
This influence is clearly seen in children’s behavior. As children, we are very influential. In this way, these attitudes that the child admires will be those that will reproduce in adolescence and adulthood.
By presenting a variety of male characters, children will be influenced by this diversity and understand that, within normal and desirable, there is a wide range of possibilities, this type of character allows children to understand that they should not give up their emotions. sensitivity to being men. They also show that being a man does not mean being violent and dominating by force or weapons will be positive for the development of your personality and for building a more egalitarian society.
Only through a new construction of masculinity can much of the violence be eradicated. Peace must be built on people’s education, and this also requires the creation of inclusive and different characters.
Film and cultural productions are undoubtedly spaces for training and leisure for society.