This text questions society's normative standards of the masculine and contemplates the extent to which men and women can transcend these stereotypes. It examines the ways in which representations of masculinity and maleness in the media and the arts produce, challenge and ultimately shape notions of the masculine. Masculinity in relationship to science and law, two dominant social institutions that play a vital role in constructing stereotypes and establishing gendered power relationships, is also considered. The study aims to take the reader beyond the status of masculinity itself, arguing...