The beaming light shining atop the pyramid of the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas attracts men and women from all over the country to the opening of its newest club, LAX. The lines to get in start forming at 9 p.m., and by 10 p.m. the line snakes around the side of the club. Some stiletto-wearing women sashay their way past the velvet ropes, while other women quickly reapply their lip gloss, touch up their make-up and hike up their mini dresses because they know it won’t be long before they are let in as well. Men wait in line with drinks in their hands, pleased at the sight of what’s walking by them and disappointed at being ignored by the club’s bouncers.

The men are all GQ’d out, wearing their nicest suits, shining jewelry and sweetest smelling colognes. But after a while their excitement simmers down. Instead of looking forward to the new club, many men consult with their friends to see if they want to leave and hit another club. One man repeatedly pulls his hand out of his pocket to stare at his Rolex watch. Tired of waiting, he pulls out a stack of hundred dollar bills and hands it over to the bouncer, who finally lets him and his friends in. The men let out a sigh of relief as they finish their drinks and walk in through the doors of the gothic-inspired club.

Michelle Medina, a Bay Area resident who is in Las Vegas for a friend’s wedding, witnesses how the male bouncers were treating men and women differently.
“In my head I was thinking, ‘man, money really talks,’” says Medina. “It’s fucked up because a group of fifteen women got let in before men who were willing to pay. I never really realized how much favoritism bouncers had for women.”

But this favoritism seems to be strategically planned. The more women the club lets in, the more the men anticipate their entrance to the club and the less they think about how expensive the cover charge is. In the excitement of being let in without waiting in line and paying a cover charge, women don’t see that they are being objectified.

Most people link gender inequality to women, but men suffer from it as well—although it often goes unnoticed. Society forces men, at very young ages, into certain roles because of stereotypes that exist. Once these roles are implanted in the man’s head, these stereotypes turn into characteristics that are passed on from generation to generation, unconsciously affecting the men and others around them.

Let’s debunk the myth that women are the only ones who suffer from gender inequalities, and take a closer look at how men are being raised in ways that can be detrimental to their lifestyles and health.

THE MACHO

Although the term “machismo” is often linked to Latin men, it applies to men from all ethnicities because the characteristics of being macho are universally accepted—and expected—from men. In Latin America, macho simply means being a man, but the word has acquired such a negative connotation that anyone who is classified as macho is thought to be a woman-beater, a drunkard and one who cannot control his temper. They are also considered to display patriarchy, always having the final say in what happens in their family. Men who demonstrate machismo often pass this trait to their children, who at a young age start mimicking their fathers, thinking that everything that they are exposed to is right. Boys are discouraged from playing with dolls, though they may want to, and are pushed to play with G.I. Joes and tanker trucks instead. Since boys are not encouraged to play with domestic toys like little girls are, they do not get to form their sensitive, more nurturing sides as young girls do, which often leads to boys suppressing their feelings.

“I was brought up being told that men don’t cry, but at the same time, I was also told that no man should tell you what to do,” says Jonathan Diaz, a licensed banker for Citibank.

NON-SENTIMENTAL TYPE

Not being able to express their feelings and emotions is mentally exhausting
to men because they, just like anyone else, need an emotional outlet. Not only do they drain themselves by holding in their feelings, but they also hurt others by being unexpressive about their feelings. Women have the advantage of turning to almost anyone when they are having a bad day, but most men can’t do that because they are embarrassed to. Being emotional and sensitive are two traits that have always been correlated with the female and not the male.

Erendira Camarena, a family therapist from Jalisco, Mexico, says that men who were taught as children to repress their feelings look for alternative ways to liberate their emotional tension.

“This problem is cultural and is due to the differences in the sexes,” says Camarena. “If a man expresses his feelings, oftentimes that becomes a symbol of inferiority, annulling the role of the ‘strong’ man which is categorized by being superior. Showing weakness takes away from the courage of a man.”

THE BREADWINNER

Men are keeping themselves busy working overtime, carrying on with meetings at odd times of the day and working on weekends. But for most it is not by choice. It is more difficult now than ever to raise a family because of rising living costs, but for the man who has been taught to be the breadwinner who keeps the family economically afloat, working hard is something that needs to be done, period.

Although more women are entering the workforce, many men still feel that raising a family is their responsibility.

“I enjoy being independent and I don’t like the idea of having to depend on a man financially,” says SF State business administration major Alicia Moraga, “but a lot of women still expect a man to be the sole provider for his family.”

Throughout their lives, men are expected to take the lead in the household, the relationship and in bed. Such expectations create unrealistic ideals that men are pressured to live up to. Although it must be nice to have a man who will take the lead in everything he does, wouldn’t it be nicer, and so much sweeter, to have a man who isn’t afraid to be himself, showing that he can be emotional and sensitive, all while remaining the man that he was brought up to be? It’s something to think about. But for the men reading this, don’t put so much pressure on yourself to prove how manly you are—manliness is in the eye of the beholder.