emmanuel reynaud holy virility the social construction of masculinity

ut we could also speak of mutilation, various forms of
physical, intellectual and sexual violence, limiting or forbidding
contraception and abortion, etc.): the more man restricts the
freedom and well-being of a women through her body, the more
he feels he is in control of his own body and certain of his
pleasures. He is not dependent, as she is, on the fickleness of
looks, on the flimsiness of a girdle or the precariousness of a
stiletto heel; flabby, paunchy, bald or spotty, what does it
matter? What is important for a man is what is in his head and
his strength: he is not fallow flesh to be enhanced, but a mind,
lord and master of his body. Make no mistake about it: the
stronger sex is certainly not the fair sex!
One of the main purposes of clothing is to differentiate the
sexes. The wearing of trousers is obligatory for western men
and French law even forbids a man to wear a skirt or a dress
outside carnival time; on the other hand, it is only recently that
women have started wearing trousers. In France it was generally
forbidden in high schools before 1968, and, even today, a
woman who has to take an examination, or go to a job interview
is advised not to wear trousers. She must show her legs and
make her vagina accessible; whereas a man does not have to
reveal his calves or offer easy access to his penis. One does not
trifle with the accessories of the difference between the sexes;
that is why, a few years ago, the Thai army radio, accusing the
police of being 'soft' in the upholding of law and order, gave the
following advice: 'the police chiefs ought to get a new uniform
and swap their trousers for skirts'. [3]
The attitudes of the two sexes towards clothes are also
completely different. Woman, supposed to exist only as a body,
is expected to 'embellish' it, and 'personalise' it, to dress with a
certain originality ―to the extent that the same dress worn by
two different women can transform a party into a disaster. Man,
on the other hand, need not worry so much about his
appearance, as it is of secondary importance to his mind or
muscles; if he does pay any attention to his clothes it is to
ensure that they symbolise his strength or conceal his flesh.
[Man and his body / 23]
Mostly man seeks to let his body blend in to uniformity and to
use dress as the symbol of his power. This ambitious project is
usually realised in the army, which is the last stage in the
initiation into the joys of virility. The minute he reports to army
camp, man is greeted with the barber's clippers and a uniform:
not a hair mast be out of place, no colour must clash; and, when
they are all at attention, it must look like there is only one head.
The purpose of military uniform is not only to standardise, it
also symbolises strength and the exercise of power. The
material and the colours, the boots and the clothes themselves
fatigues, battle-dress, parka, etc. ― everything is designed for
efficiency in battle. Of course, in civilian life, man is not this
military caricature; even so, the colours he prefers are neutral
and dull - grey, beige, dark brown, navy blue― and there is not
much variety in style: he traditionally sports suit and tie, or for