2. aideologically and culturally constructed characteristic trait of someone. Masculinity is used to enforce the male character,
as a machismo filled hero, ready to provide and fight for âhis womanâ. Masculinity is used so much used in films that the
media can be able to reinforce the idea of men as the dominant sex and the family provider, while the women need the
men to help them. Masculinity is being used more frequently than ever because women are starting to receive more
equality in society as they are no longer cookers, cleaners, mothers or people needing constant commodities to attract
men, theyâre now leaders, inventors, government ministers and heads of corporations and the hegemonic aspects of the
media are trying to disapprove of it, and have men claim those positions, and that is why the hero will be overly macho and
manly, flaunting muscles and saying sexist words, but of course, the women is too stupid and scared to realize.
Masculinity can easily be replaced by effeminate, or femininity, and this able to create the opposite to the hero, thus
creating the villain who will act very flamboyantly, never showing signs that he is attracted to women, has lots of male
bodyguards, fight very weakly and is insane. The insanity of the feminine villain is possibly linked to the fact that many
doctors and psychologists believe homosexuality to be a mental disorder, which it self is linked to Christianity,
thenAmericanisation which influences media constructed images. The hero is always likely to have had or is still, a manual
worker to display his masculinity, such as builders and blacksmiths, and also inspire layabouts to work harder so they can
reap the rewards: the embodiment of the American, capitalist ideal.
Masculinity is set to return, as many believe it is in a crisis, being threatened by female heroes and villains, women who can
easily fight as well as men (Ripley, Aliens) and be able to show them as stupid (in The World is Not Enough, Bond is tricked
by a woman). Now men in action films are distinctly macho, being able to carry massive weapons, wearing no shirts or
vests to show-off their toned bodies, and being able to have any women fall in love with them. Now masculinity has added
itself to the âdominantâ side of Noam Chomskyâs table of dominants and subordinates. Because a âmacho manâ will be
white, heterosexual, middle-aged, physically fit and attractive, while femininity is subordinate and which is why the heroes
and villains of action films will always be represented as such.
Masculinity can also seems to add homoerotism to a film. If two masculine characters are partnered there is a hidden
homoerotism within their relationship, ironically in their mutual display of masculinity. They are willing to make at display
of masculinity, shirtless, together without given thoughts that may be a certain attraction between each other, but most
audience would be only watching the film for humour and action, but those who examine and analyse films could notice
such blatant homoerotism in certain films like Predator or Fight Club. But no homosexual scenes are ever made, the two
characters can obviously have feelings for each other, but they are never emotionally expressed, only sexual feelings for
other women, because the media does not wish for homosexuality to be accepted or at least supported by a mainstream
mass media, because a right-wing media wants its children to procreate, not to find pleasure in sex. One glorious scene
which encapsulates this theory of homoerotism in the action genre is the âarm wrestlingâ scene from Predator. In this
scene, the two characters, Dutch and Dillon arm wrestle together, each characterâs arm is bulging with muscles and veins
and shine with the sweat of hard labour and they stare into each others eyes, with audiences believing itâs just to
intimidate each, but is a much deeper meaning. The scene ends with Dutch beating with ease Dillon, and this is interesting
to note as Dillon is a Black character, and this can be linked an Americanisation effect of the action genre of downsizing the
role of the ethnic hero. In a film, Black people are just side-lined as the sidekick, even though they are doing just as much
their White partner. If it was two White men, we would not know which was the sidekick, but constant representation in
films like Lethal Weapon, tells us that the Black is the sidekick, never the hero. This could be linked to age-old stereotypes
of Black people as vagrants, thieves and uneducated, so they could never be the hero, and this still goes on, even 30 years
after the Civil Rights Movement. this is because the media wishes audiences to subtly see White men as the Hero and the
Black man as the sidekick, which could also be linked to many White people still believing in Black slaves, so the sidekick is,
in a way, the disposable slave.
The United States of America is a presidential republic which has been able to create a massive flood of hegemonic,
cultural influence around the world without having to physically build an empire, like Spain and Britain. Itâs influence
comes from its military might and its cultural and ideological products, as America is an extremely fundamental capitalistic
nation, ready to sell itâs product in every nook and cranny of the world, evidence that its government is more likely to fund
Coca Cola projects than Greenpeaceâs. It also has great influence on the film industry, since the capital of the industry,
Hollywood, is within the glittering towers of Los Angeles and because of this, the ideologies of America have passed down
into the varying genres. This type of influence has been named âAmericanisationâ, similar to globalisation. Action genre has
been greatly influenced and changed by Americanisation, and because of it the hero will always be American. Recently
America has be receiving bad press due to the Iraq War and the Vietnam War, the country has been seen as an aggressive
war machine, fighting more for resources than democracy, so that is why more and more action films have an American
hero and a foreign villain, so that audiences can see that Americans do care about fighting for what is right.