Overly Manly Behavior Normalized

Normalization Bias  
4 Tropes 4 Movies
Table Of Contents

Explanation of Conservative Trope

There is a pervasive culture in society -- especially among conservatives -- where many men feel the need to act "manly" at times when it is not needed. Hollywood contributes to this with excessive depictions of men acting overly "manly" on screen.

Conservative Trope Examples

  • The Hangover Part II (2011)
    Teddy (Mason Lee) says the best day of his life was the night out with the guys when he engaged in overly aggressive masculine behavior including playing the "stab between the fingers game" where he lost a finger.
  • The Hangover (2009) | Men Lampooned for Not Being "Manly" Enough
    Phil (Bradley Cooper) lampoons Alan (Zach Galifianakis) for wearing a "man purse" and Alan proudly responds it's a satchel and reminds him that "Indiana Jones wears one." Phil responds "so does Joy Behar."
    Staff Aside
    The scene is obviously played for laughs, but it perpetuates the stereotype that men are supposed to wear "manly things" and women are supposed to wear "womanly things."
  • I Love You Man (2009) | Men Lampooned for Not Being "Manly" Enough
    Sydney (Jason Segel) tells Peter (Paul Rudd) to "gently remove [his] tampon and try again" as he coaches him to yell like a manly man.
  • The Departed (2006) | Men Lampooned for Not Being "Manly" Enough
    Billy Costigan orders a cranberry juice, and a connected man at the bar asks him is he's on his period. So he hits him. And then Frenchie, a mob guy, intervenes and asks him the same thing again about being on his period.

How Trope is Biased

Normalization

  • Hollywood likes to make overly manly behavior as normal

Conservative Biases

  • The right is often obsessive with false notions of "manliness" and that men have to act certain ways different than women