Girls versus Boys and Boys versus Girls

Girls versus Boys and Boys versus Girls

While this article is entertaining it is not without bias and there are many reasons to dispel this piece of writing. Amy Gross uses all or nothing statements and very generic stereotypes of only two types of men, when in fact within those two types there are many more. She has neglected to accurately state what a masculine man is and what he is not.

She uses personal experiences to back up her ideal man. While the imagery strikes up visualizations of an artistic male, she steers clear of this. Despite her need to stereotype she does not stereotype correctly. Androgynous men can be effeminate as well as masculine; is that not the entire point of this piece? Just because a man has both feminine and masculine qualities, it does not necessarily mean it will interfere with his orientation. Females as well as males can be masculine. Here is a fact she claims, “That high masculinity in males and high femininity in females has been consistently linked with lower overall intelligence and creativity.” (Line 9) This article is simply bias and without much evidence to support her strong opinion.

The stereotype she continuously refers to is that all-men men are cold and unemotional, this is a jaded statement. Females as well as males are capable of being indifferent, it is without gender bias. Admittedly, the most seemingly masculine men are taught to be strong but as the author discredits the fact that there are many masculine men who were raised by single mothers’. It is unfair to say that all men are unsympathetic it seems the author desperately needs to prove this point. Repeatedly she uses personal experiences and one absent-minded study, overlooking the vital factors that determine the outcome of this behavior. The interesting passage is in [Line 3] where she recalls vividly on an encounter with a "man’s man" where she does not respond accordingly to his disrespectful demeanor. She complains that men are unemotional yet she is unable to communicate her feelings effectively to the man. Another interesting factoid is that not only are all-men men unrefined they also lack anything interesting to say and well she claims she cannot speak to them either. (Lines 3 and 5) At least the author recognizes that there are different types of men, but she fails to recognize anymore than just that.

Mr. Todd starts this article with a fact; girls now do better in school than boys. (Line 2) Where has he been all this time, females in general have done better in school than boys for years now. He also complains that females have been given more opportunity in the workplace. (Line 2) What is wrong with this does he not recall the Woman’s Work Movement? The fact is that females are still mistreated in the workforce. The author is in short upset that society is a little less patriarchal than it used to be and males are seemingly deemed as being useless.

The author is correct is saying that females will receive more help than males but males also do not seek out help as much or even admit they have a problem. What he also fails to address is that girls are naturally more ambitious. Does he think it’s a pure coincidence that girls are doing better in school? He expels statements in a manner which suggests favoritism and not hard work. This article although making a valid concern, has disavowed the other factors that contribute to poor male performance. “In Britain, while girls 15-17 are becoming more optimistic, boys are becoming more pessimistic and introverted, suffering from low self-esteem and lack of ambition, which leads to poor study skills.” (Line 16) The question is has he really considered this a possibility? Most high school drop outs are males and there are more females enrolled in schools than males. Young women want to be educated and independently provide for themselves. Males of older generations are upset and belittled by the fact the gender roles have changed and they are essentially useless. If boys want to reclaim their “thrones” they have to earn it just as females did. If the author really wants to blame somebody he should blame the government, since they are the ones who provide funding and education to students.

Both of these articles have strong arguments for incorrect information. One an extremist in males are unemotional and another for females getting more attention than boys. These articles are the total opposite of each other yet are similar in their attacks to the opposite gender of themselves. Amy explains the appeal for androgynous men without really making a good case for them, instead of being positive and accurate she opts for negative and inefficient. Douglas chooses to use boys as victims while underhandedly attacking feminists who use female empowerment to boost confidence, the feminists are not to blame.

Works Citied

Gross, Amy. “The Appeal of the Androgynous Man.” Reading and Writing, Communicating in College. Custom Edition for Seneca College. Toronto. Pearson Custom Publishing. 2006. 24-27


Todd, Douglas. “In a Girl’s World, It Can Be Tough Being a Boy.” Reading and Writing, Communicating in College. Custom Edition for Seneca College. Toronto. Pearson Custom Publishing. 2006. 201-202