(September 6, 2023 at 2:15 am)FrustratedFool Wrote: Yes. It's likely been the same, though perhaps to an increasing degree, for a generation.
You know, this got me thinking.
American men are still very concerned about being Real Men. It's possible that the attributes of a Real Man have changed a little over time, but probably not that much, as you point out.
But I suspect that nobody talks about the qualities of a Real Woman. As gender roles change, am I right in thinking that the qualities we admire in a woman are now more or less the same as those we admire in a man -- and that these are what we used to think of as masculine?
Like if we're talking about getting your values from media, all the women in the cop shows these days are just as tough, violent, and hard-talking as the men. They solve their problems with violence and show their superiority by bucking authority just like all the men do.
And I know that actual living women have always had to be strong. But the qualities that we used to associate with femininity don't seem to be getting very good press lately. Delicacy, gentleness, humility, care for others, that kind of thing. These are actually good things.
To some extent maybe effeminate men (if that term is even still meaningful) might embody these qualities more than Real Men. I don't think such things are necessarily linked to anatomy. But I sort of wish they were valued more.
