My paradigm shift topic will trace the shift of masculinity throughout the 1980s to present day and examine what the standard for the “ideal man” is in 2019. I would start with the stereotypes surrounding gender: for example, how boys from birth should express an interest in women, take charge in relationships, and only like masculine activities (sports, cars, etc.). I would then trace how third wave feminism has allowed men to begin to break free of this expectation of hyper masculinity and strict heterosexuality. I could use celebrities, fashion models, ads, movies, and recent laws from 1980 to now to prove the shift in ideas and thinking; men in the 1980s were very much expected to behave in a certain manner, whereas today, the definition of what a “man” is encompasses so much more than the strict binary that our parents lived with. This trend also overlaps with the furthered acceptance of LGBT people, as gay or effeminate men are now more able to come out safely as opposed to even just a few years ago.
This shift needs to be explored and understood because how a society defines one gender versus another is important and has long-standing ramifications for the future. For example, men historically have been seen as the “breadwinners” of a home and often told that they are “in charge” of women. While of course damaging to the women being controlled by these men, this kind of attitude is also deeply damaging to a man’s psychological state. He may feel shame for not meeting society’s standards of masculinity, or feel that he is not able to speak about his problems openly due to the fear and stigma of being labelled feminine or gay. This shift in particular describes how it is possible to rectify these harmful stereotypes. While not fully there, society as a whole has made massive progress accepting different types of men into society. Realizing how this paradigm shift began may make it easier, in the future, to create a more progressive and accepting society.
I really like the idea for your paradigm shift topic; in my own words, you are looking into the shift of the idea of masculinity from the 80’s to today, specifically the idea of the “ideal man.” I think this is pretty specific and will make a great TED Talk/paper since you are honing into the idea of what an “ideal man” is and how this concept has shifted over time. I saw in your blog that you are planning to touch on some of the feminist ideas—while this will be interesting, make sure these tie into your main point which is about the ideal man. For example, if using examples/facts about the feminist movement make sure they tie into how they have shaped the concept of the ideal man today. This is a very interesting topic and I think it will make a great talk/paper! I look forward to hearing more about this 🙂