Does Her challenge or conform to traditional representations of masculinity?

"Does Her challenge or conform to traditional representations of masculinity?"

Masculinity is how men are perceived, it is made up of a group of social norms that are associated with men, but just like stereotypes, not all men fit into these social norms, therefore men often feel as though they have to put on a front (1) to fit into this "Box." Men are often forced into "Gender perfomativity,"(2) thus forcing them to put on a front, to try and enable themselves to fit the social norms associated with masculinity, in an attempt to avoid abuse from society. Some of the social norms that society associate with being masculine and a being a "Real man," are: athleticism, violence, toughness or independency etc, and if a male does not fit any of these they are often deem unmasculine and suffer abuse.

In the opening scene of the film "Her" we are introduced to a male character in a close up shot of his head. The lack of non-diegetic or diegetic sound means that we are drawn to what he is saying and we are forced to focus on what he is saying in detail. It is immediately apparent that he is talking about being in love and a wedding anniversary. It is clear the male character is being sensitive and discussing his feelings, therefore we get the impression that he is quite feminine and doesn't fit into the masculine group, as stereotypically, masculine men are not portrayed as sensitive or in touch with their feelings.


(1) Jackson Katz
(2)Judith Butler