Men are in trouble in today's society. The question has sometimes been asked, is there a macho-man stereotype plaguing today's man?, an invisible boundary keeping men back, forcing them to conform with society's expectations. A stereotype ridiculing those who dare disobey the imaginary commandments they are set to follow. The purpose of this essay is to shed light on the fact that a macho-man stereotype does exist, and to discuss it's development into our society. Before we can further discuss any stereotype we must define the meaning of one.
Stereotypes are a form of normative analysis, or way of thinking. They define "what should be," rather than "what actually is." Normative analysis does not explain the real world but lead to predictions and expectations about it, these predictions and expectations are what we call stereotypes.
The question, "What is the macho-man stereotype?" must be answered before an further discussion is considered. This is a very difficult question to answer because many people may have many different answers. But in essence, it is almost a set of rules males are expected to abide by.
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