Let's do a little sexuality/gender awareness test for our own Tufts University. So, do we have a women's center? Check. Feminist group? Check. Reproductive rights group? Check. Support hotlines? Check. LGBT center? Check.
Looks like we have things pretty covered here.
Yet there is one area where I think Tufts is not aware, an area where really no college I know of is aware: male heterosexuality. When we examine sexuality and gender stereotypes and oppression in society we mainly look to its effect on the most disenfranchised groups: historically, women and members of the LGBT community.
I am perfectly willing to acknowledge that heterosexual men have governed most societies since the beginning of civilization, establishing an ideology that oppressed other social groups. And in order to create a society based on equality, it is essential that we critically examine the power dynamics and inequalities associated with gender and sexuality.
In part, this means addressing prevalent stereotypes: ones that tell women to be submissive, obedient, charming; others that tell male homosexuals to be fashionable, sensitive, etc. It also means addressing equally harmful stereotypes plaguing the male heterosexual community.
To cite recent examples on campus, I will reference two articles written by the Daily's sex columnist and the Sex Signals production this past Wednesday, Oct. 11. While Ms. Levi's articles were amusing and provocative, her "Talent Shows" piece not only puts women in a submissive, pleasure-delivering-only role, it also makes men out to be some simple type of animal just howling to get off.
After all, as Levi posits, our penises are where our "manliness" is, they're where our "authority" lies. Levi took cues from the continuous onslaught of criticism she received, toning down the following week's "Sweet Tooth" article, putting women on much more equal footing with their XY counterparts.
Yet men are still portrayed as simplistic creatures just looking to get some, "like a puppy trailing the steamy scent of supper."
Excuse me? I know when I'm on a date with someone, my mind's not bent on the "only" thing that can happen if we take it to the bed, and I'm certainly not picking up any "steamy scents of supper." I'm out to meet another person, discover a new personality and just have some fun.
While Sex Signals set out to address some of the complications and dangers involved in miscommunication between the sexes, they also perpetuated the same stereotype that Ms. Levi is so fond of using. While those in the show did a commendable job educating the audience about the serious issue of acquaintance rape, the male actor only briefly touched upon male stereotypes, even though the female actor covered numerous examples of female stereotypes.
Ironically, the male actor of the production missed one of the biggest misconceptions about men: that we want sex all the time, just give us sex and we'll be happy. Instead, he perpetuated this stereotype by acting as a macho man whose end goal was always about having sex, fitting in line with the show's ad, in which a man kissing a girl thinks, "I'm gonna be hittin' it tonight!"
Just as women don't necessarily want to have sex all the time, neither do men.
These stereotypes do much more harm than just making guys look bad; they also reinforce this negative sex-driven behavior. We all look around us for social cues on how we should act in social situations. Stereotypes are one form of these cues, causing a self-fulfilling prophecy.
For example, when a guy and a girl are on a date and he doesn't know how to act, he may look to her for cues. When she expects him to act in this sex-craving manner due to some stereotype she holds, he may very well adopt that behavior, not knowing what else to do.
Through this stereotype, the girl has inadvertently encouraged behavior she dislikes. Not only is this stereotype played out on dates, but in many other parts of society, similarly to how women face stereotypes in all facets of life, from the home to the job to the movies.
Tufts strives to promote equality throughout our campus and the larger society. Gender and sexuality are two major areas in which there have historically been numerous inequalities and injustices. Yet to right these wrongs now, we must take a look at the whole picture, focusing not only on how stereotypes and modern beliefs negatively affect women and the LGBT community, but also men.
Whereas examining how men are negatively stereotyped today may seem counterintuitive, since it was men who created many of the gender and sexuality imbalances today, it is imperative we take these forms of oppression into account in order to establish a more equal society.
Kevin Dillon is a junior majoring in sociology.
