Exploring the Hegemonic Gendering process

Suits is one of my favorite television shows, and I think Harvey Specter's character on the show captures the dominant US societal norms of what an "ideal man" is supposed to look like. On Suits, Harvey is a young, well-established, good-looking, high class, expensively-dressed lawyer working at a big time firm. Not only is he rich, but he also has no problem getting laid or getting a beautiful girlfriend. While the show sometimes portrays him as a hard worker, he often effortlessly wins, in not only legal cases but also relational arguments. Harvey has a respected and thriving career after graduating from Harvard, and he also possesses a lot of power over his clients and other people in his office. He also sometimes chooses to blackmail or take advantage of others if it benefits himself or people he cares about. I think Harvey's character embodies what many young men in America strive to be and achieve.

The way I learned what a real man is supposed to look and behave is mostly from forms of entertainment like tv shows and movies. On shows like Suits, the white, good looking, well-dressed man is typically the good guy that the audience roots for when they watch the show. They are portrayed as successful, in regards to career and sexual conquests. Characteristics like physical and emotional strength, a good body and face, and being witty are rewarded and portrayed as ideal in US society.



My perception of a "real" man is heavily influenced by the culture that I grew up in. My parents both capture my perception of "real" men and women. My parents both immigrated from Asia and obtained their citizenship through studying in America and getting employed. They both left their families back in Hong Kong and the Philippines and traveled alone to a new place where they couldn't speak the common language. While they both are both at an age where they could choose to retire, and while they aren't exceptionally good looking or fit or well-dressed by society's standards, I still believe that their choices and actions reflect what "real men" and "real women" are. They value my future and family over buying material things that don't matter. They have so-called "average" careers but they both work really hard, and they are in a committed marriage. I think both of these are admirable.  My version of "real" men and women does not match what is commonly portrayed in movies and tv shows that reflect societal norms.I think this is because the influence of my parents and other family members has been greater than what is shown to me through forms of entertainment.