Chris, I realize you haven't walked this earth for very long, but calling traditional masculinity "prehistoric" is obviously a gross exaggeration. The feminizing of the American man is actually a rather recent, and sad-silly, phenomenon.
In fact, even now, there are many parts of U.S. where the definition of "masculine", in the eyes of women as well as men, is a lot closer to the cowboy depiction than the so-called males who sit with Tyra Banks on her "Next Top Model" panel (wasn't it Paula Cole, a self-described Feminist, who sang, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?"). Locally, there was a newspaper article regarding definitions of masculinity, and women were often the ones who commented, "Where have all the real men gone?", and "How 'bout a little testosterone guys!"
Despite all the magazine articles that re-name the latest poofy version of what "being a man" is supposed to be, the average American really isn't all that excited about the prospect of men joining women in the fashion-go-round and dieting-go-round, who coordinate accessories with their outfits, who fuss over their hair, who wouldn't tolerate dirt beneath their fingernails. Let's face it: Femininity and Masculinity define each other. When men get too femme and/or women get too butch, something is lost.
|