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The Appeal of the Androgynous Man

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The Appeal of the Androgynous Man
"The Appeal of the Androgynous Man"

This article was published in Mademoiselle in 1976 for young female readers by Amy
Gross. In this article Gross compares androgynous men to the all-man man. Gross talks about the advantages of the androgynous man as compared to the all-man man. There are advantages and disadvantages to every man. Seems as though Gross is in favor of the androgynous man and she tends to bash the all-man man. Gross describes the Androgynous man as being a self-amused, less inflated, more quirky, vulnerable and responsive man. Gross describes the all-man man as being a male chauvinist and possessing none of the characteristics of the androgynous man. These descriptions are of men that Gross had encounters with, not necessarily every man in the world. It is evident through her descriptions that she is more in favor of the androgynous man and sees them as a better mate. The androgynous man maybe be a better mate for
Gross, however this does not mean he is a better mate for every woman. Further Gross explains the results of an experiment done with college students that were categorized as masculine, feminine, or androgynous. This experiment tests the degree of nurturing and caring abilities of each person within the experiment. Gross makes it a point to reveal that masculine men scored low and gave her sympathy for anyone stuck with this type of man. The choice of what type of man a woman chooses to spend her life with is left up to the individual woman. If a masculine man makes a woman happy who is Gross to giver her sympathy to this woman. Gross stereotypes the all-man man by suggesting that the all-man man will reject behaviors and interests that are considered feminine. This stereotyping is based on her experience with men, not by the experience of women as a whole. Gross is making a misleading statement about men, therefore she is possibly misleading her readers. Young
adult
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