Hegemonic Masculinity and The New Man in Two and a Half Men

            Examining the differences in media representation of men versus women is an aspect many scholars have already investigated.  However, today, a new wave of masculinity as been displayed in comparison to traditional views of what it means to be a man.  This “new man” or “soft man” as Hatfield describes it is a “…man with an alternative form of masculinity,” or a more feminine male persona (Hatfield, 2010, 527).  This type of man and the dominant or hegemonic masculinity, which are men perceived as unemotional, assertive, competitive, independent, and professional, are both present in the modern television sitcom, Two and a Half Men.  Not only does this hit series continually represent both variations of men, it also shows how through the comparison of the “new man” or any other subordinate gender identity, encourages the audience to identify with the dominant or ideal hegemonic masculine character.

            Two and a Half Men center on the lives of two brothers Charlie, Alan, and Alan’s son Jake as an untraditional family, while exposing an obvious gender hierarchy.  Charlie, the predominantly more masculine figure, lives an attractive bachelor lifestyle while Alan, is working to get over his divorce, maintain his practice, and raise his son Jake.   Even from watching only a small clip of the popular series, any individual could point out that Charlie is the more dominant, and in this case, a more desirable male figure based on our society’s standards of masculinity.  Hegemonic masculinity is, in fact, “Culture’s general consensus over what it means to be a man,” an individual who exposes his assertive, competitive, and professional traits (Lecture, 10/1/13).  This socially constructed ideal is present and repeated throughout many seasons of this show. 

            Through certain events, Charlie and Alan embody the separate masculinities that society has socially constructed as the audience perceives the dominant male as the desired character.  In one specific scene, Alan is frantically getting ready for a date.  He, not only is acting in a more feminine manner by being nervous before a date, but he is also worried about his appearance and what he should wear.  Alan decides to ask Charlie for his opinion, because Alan (and the audience) knows Charlie always has luck when it comes to women.  As Alan walks in and asks Charlie how he looks, Charlie simply says “Incredible.  All men want to be you (Hatfield, 2010, 534).   All women want to be with you,” without even a glance at him.  This alone communicates to the audience that Charlie’s, more masculine character, could care less about what Alan is wearing or how he is feeling.  The scene also demonstrates Alan’s more emotional, or feminine side, by obviously comparing it to Charlie’s demeanor as he is lifting weights and drinking scotch, two very hegemonic masculine traits.  Alan’s emotional side comes out again as he states, “can you at least look at me before you answer?” (Hatfield, 2010, 534)  With a very sarcastic manner, Charlie sits up and states, “I stand corrected.  All men want to be with you” (Hatfield, 2010, 534).  This comment is, of course, intended to be comical especially after the laugh track clues the audience in on the joke that was just made.  This continuous mocking “…reinforces his superiority and guiding viewers own assessments of Alan’s character” as a subordinate male figure (Hatfield, 2010, 534).  Throughout this encounter, the notion of “enlightened sexism” also becomes evident to the viewer because Alan is seen the more sensitive male type and continues to strive to be like Charlie and desiring Charlie’s approval (Lecture, 10/1/13).

            Not only does Charlie’s hegemonic masculinity dominate over Alan’s depiction of the “new man,” the representation of women throughout the series reinforces this ideal as well.  In Two and a Half Men, it is a known fact that Charlie engages in many escapades with multiple women, an aspect that many males today would look up to.   However, because the encounters with women do not last long, Charlie usually has a reason to blame it on and that reason most of the time is the women’s fault.  Charlie exposes the women’s flaws as the issue with the relationship, rather than his own, which ultimately illustrates him as the more dominate gender.  A prime example of this type of situation is when Charlie tries to make amends with a woman he use to date.  This woman, Dolores Pasternak, happened to be one of Jake’s old teachers, and after they broke up she went off the deep end and became a stripper, losing her teaching license.  This shows the audience that Charlie not only reacted in a mature manner by trying to apologize, but that the women, Dolores, went crazy, which further reinforces his dominance.  Even Alan’s character is subordinate to women throughout the show.   Alan’s ex wife Judith exerts authority over Alan as he continues to take the trash out from her house even though she kicked him out when they got a divorce.  While this is a comical aspect of the episode, the audience can see how truly powerless Alan’s character is when in comparison to other types of genders, and how dominant the ideal masculinity is displayed. 

            Thus, the distinction between Charlie’s hegemonic masculinity and Alan’s display of the “new man” is apparent throughout the entire series as it develops a patriarchal hierarchy between characters.  Charlie’s more attractive and assertive way to life characterizes him as more desirable over Alan, who expresses himself as an emotional and sensitive man. When the subordinate genders are directly compared to Charlie’s masculinity, it simply reinforces his control.  With this said, it is easy to conclude that hegemonic masculinity only occurs in comparison to a lesser gender type (Hatfield, 2010, 531).  Based on these ideas, the audience automatically identifies with Charlie’s character further legitimizing the concept of the ideal man in our society today.  Two and a Half Men is one of the most popular sitcoms on television today for young men.  However, this type of blatant superiority for Charlie’s hegemonic masculinity gives these young men an unrealistic version of manhood to strive for.  In my opinion, this limited view fuels the “sissyphobia” in today’s society as men are frightened to appear as anything but a dominant manly man.        

Work cited

Hatfield, Elizabeth Fish. "'What It Means To Be A Man': Examining Hegemonic Masculinity In Two And A Half Men E. F. Hatfield." Communication, Culture & Critique 3.4 (2010): 526-548. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Zimdars, Melissa. "Television Criticism." Representation: Sex and Gender. University of Iowa. Adler Journalism Building, Iowa City . 1 Oct. 2013. Lecture.