masculinity

American masculinty is usually portrayed in the big and beefy lumberjack with huge arms, or the high school Jock with the huge arms. A masculine man is a man that can protect. The website http://www.theamericanman.com/ tries to bring the ideals and thoughts about both men and women and define a contemporary American Masculinty. It was created by Kenny Benjamin, who holds a masters degree in Marriage and Family therapy. His life experiances are not that of a typical masculine American, for he was a stay at home dad whilst his children were toddlers. He explains that there is a code of masculinity that makes a man, but that same code can limit their ability to be a good father. Within the website is posts that question the masculine code of American males. The most recent of which was the podcast of affection: A Hug is just a Hug. Within the podcast examples are used to highlight the code of masculinity and others to shine a light onto the new contemporary masculinty that is beginning to surface. In particular Kenny Benjamin uses an event from basketball, where the players hug eachother in a care free manner, without using a handshake to protect their private parts. The hug is done out of pure comradery, a gesture that would not have been done even a decade ago. It puts forward a contemporary masculinty that holds both the ability to be tough and also hold and show emotion.