'Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt' By Jean Kilbourne

Our American society must deals with many problems. We have been struggling to handle difficulties ranging from environmental problems to economic problems. However, solutions to this type of problems are actually quite simple if you compare to problem like sexual discrimination. Every single culture has been dealing with it for a very long time but one tends to think sexism against only women. Sexism towards women has been noticeable problem of our society and much effort has been done to solve it and it is on its way to being slowly resolved. However, that is only one side of the problem; sexism against man is rarely recognized and understood by only few. In the article “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt” by Jean Kilbourne, like any other media, depicts sexism as something that only accounts toward woman. Women and men should be treated as equal. However, more attention is directed towards discrimination towards women. American holds a myth that unnoticed sexual discrimination towards man is not a problem but a cultural norm. men’s unequal responsibility to succeed in the workplace, to prove their worth by making money; and men’s confusion over what it means to be a man today.미디어랑 남자의 자격에 대해 설명 Among the many stereotypes out there, the most common one is how men are projected as jerks. Considering number of
people accept this idea today, this is one of the most popular stereotype. It is not just women who accept this idea but many men not only accept the idea and follow it. There is variety of sources that slips into our subconscious but without a doubt, the strongest force is the media. The title of the article, “To ways a woman can get hurt,”(Killbourne 419) is an ad for shaving gel, featuring a razor and a photo of a handsome man with a ’heartbreaker’ caption. This ad suggests that “Desirable men are painful heartbreaker at best.”(Kilbourne 420) So many ads, popular TV shows, movies, music, literature and much more other popular media suggest this quality as normal. After Kilbourne walk us through with number of examples, he concludes that “The popular culture usually mocks men who have real intimacy with women and idealizes a template for relationships between men and women that is a recipe for disaster.”(Kilbourne 420) and “ridicules men who are not in control of their women”(Kilbourne 420). Sadly, influenced, or discriminated by media, many men think of being Casanova as a positive quality of among men. “”These are examples of negative stereotypes against men and are a huge part of the problem. Men are unfairly portrayed as monsters and women end up believing that all men are heartless and uncaring. The media is a strong influence, and if it continues to produce negative stereotypes against men, then women will continue to believe them.””
Another big part of male sexism is the enormous amount pressure for men to be successful. It is tough to be a man these times. Every man have to face their obligation to have a good education, get a decent job, get married with beautiful woman and have kids, and be the bread winner of the family. If they failed to satisfy one of these requirements, the society looks down on him and if he cannot support their family, he will be looked down upon by his own family. Without money, men literary do not worth as much. Even though culture has been changed so that women can be successful as men, the pressures on males and females to be successful are highly unequal. Men see becoming successful as responsibility and obligation, whereas for women, becoming successful is a choice. It is normal in our society for a woman to marry a successful man and not work, but it is definitely seen as strange when a man marries a successful woman and does not work. He will be accused of marrying her for her money, whereas if it was woman is not accused of anything. Being a successful male has become the society’s rule. Even though how successful or how highly educated a man is not a measurement to see how valuable he is, without having a successful career, or at least without money, men are seen as disappointments.
These facts are even truer in my country, Korea. Since, Korean people are more easily influenced by media, male sexisms are more extremely. Whether which gender strives for education better does not distinguish gender. Women think undergraduate from decent college is a basic requirement for them to get a better husband. Most, women stops there but, men are expected to graduate from one of the top three Universities in Korea if not, then, studied abroad, or have a decent job. If all else fail, men’s parents have to be super rich. On other hand, women bring their level up by doing plastic surgery. Oh, men have to be good looking and too. It just became secondary factor. This phenomenon accelerates with the marriage custom. When my brother got married, we follow Korean custom of man financially preparing the place to live and bride’s family preparing the house appliance and furniture. This tradition worked out somehow in last decade but the gap is keeping widening as housing is becoming more expansive. Not attractive women cannot be chosen by successful men because media pushes men to demand them. So, women demanding successful man are sexual discrimination toward both genders because men will be obligate to become successful and only few successful men will want attractive women. This cycle will result in even more extreme objectification and media is behind of this indoctrination. Discrimination toward man is more serious problem than what people think right now.
With those all those pressures that men have today being said, it is clear that our society has produced many confusing expectations of what men should do to be “real men.” A man must be a good provider to his family, he must be a good father, and he must be sensitive and gentle.
Men have learned that in order to succeed in relationships, they must succeed in their occupation. They learn from high school that women possess superior qualities and power if they are attractive. If men want to reach that level, they must be both attractive and successful. Society has made requirements for both men and women, and the men are struggling to cope with these
pressures. Sexual discrimination toward male is a problem that must be solved. What was thought as first just as a “women’s problem,” has also become known as a “man’s problem.” If men and women are fighting to be equals, they must realize that they both have problems. Men and women both experience unfair treatment, and the only way to stop it, is for both sexes to take time to see how and why the discrimination happens. The attention surrounding sexism directed towards females has become so prominent that it has left the male movement trailing behind, unnoticed. Equality of the sexes will begin with equal attention on both movements.

여자만 discrimination 걱정하는건 남자에 대한 discrimination 고로 이런 현상이 생긴다.
The society must realize that focusing on discrimination of women is only creating discrimination against men. The more attention women receive, the more power they receive over men, which leaves men powerless. Robert Moore, a psychoanalyst at the C.G Jung Institute in Chicago, states that it is ridiculous to conclude that “the empowerment of women means the disempowerment of men.” (qtd. in Allis 256) Men and women should receive equal treatment, and the only way that it will happen is if our society realizes that there is no such thing as the “better sex.”