Recommended Reading #57: Men, Pt. II
"Why Men Should Join SlutWalk" by Hugo Schwyzer (Sex and Culture, Gender socialization, Sociology, Psychology) 5/24/11
One of my favorite points in this piece is one I feel Hugo stresses repeatedly: the falsity of the pernicious (and vicious, it seems to me) myth that human male "biology" makes it so that men are uncontrollable when aroused and/or that they only respect what they don't lust after, and vice versa. The idea strikes me as ludicrous and dangerous, and I like Hugo's offering around it in this piece, as well as the other perspectives he delineates.
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"Male Self-Pleasure Myths" by Hugo Schwyzer (Masturbation, Gender Socialization, Sex Toys) 5/16/11
Especially since I agree with the perspective(s) I interpret as offered in this piece that male sexuality has traditionally been perceived in an oversimplified way, I really appreciate explorations that recognize the complexity of it. As a side note, I have not usually featured more than one piece by the same author in a RR post, but on the subject at hand, I like very much what Hugo has to say in both of these pieces (this one actually quotes Charlie too, so it's like combining the authors of the other two pieces together :)).
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"The Performance of Masculinity" by Dr. Charlie Glickman (Gender socialization, Sociology) 5/6/11
I found this a riveting and insightful expose on our culture's expectations and perceptions of masculinity with an overall tone (that I immensely appreciate) cognizant of the detriment of rigid (and, as far as I'm concerned, arbitrary) gender socialization.
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