Masculinity is described as the possession of attributes considered typical of a man. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine character with a cultural idealism and emphasis that connects masculinity to the competitiveness, toughness, and subordination of women. Hegemonic masculinity is the application of male domination over a society. Masculine ideology dates back to the era of the agrarian and industrial revolution in Europe, when survival required men to leave their farms to work in industries to earn a living for their families while women stayed at home to take care of family affairs (Good and Sherrod 210). ). Women did not work in industries at the time because industrial work was considered too physical beyond their capabilities. This has led to the definition of roles that appease the position of men in a society while condemning women as mere subordinates who cannot do without men. Critics of gender stereotypes in America describe the following five hegemonic characteristics of masculinity: frontier mentality, heterosexuality, professional success, family patriarchy, and physical strength and control (Trujillo 4). The advent of the 20th century led to radical changes in American masculinity. The first half of the 19th century United States of America exhibited a characteristic of masculinity described above. Masculinity has become hegemonic by defining power in terms of strength and control. This is because men are naturally created with a body physique characterized by a higher strength of control than women. Therefore, using force and control to define power has naturalized male superiority. The male body was used to represent power, which was masculinized as strength, physical strength, control, speed, endurance and d...... middle of paper ...... E Glenn and Nancy B Sherrod. The psychology of men and masculinity: state of research and future directions. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2001. Katz, J.D. The Invention of Heterosexuality London: RoutledgeKimmel, Michael. “Manliness in America: A Cultural History” Matza, Alexis Ruthg. The Boston "T" Party: Masculinity, Testosterone Therapy, and Embodiment Among Aging Men and Transgender Men. Thesis and desertion. Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 2009. Mosse, L George. The image of man: the creation of modern masculinity. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1996. Summers, Martin. The Black Middle Class and the Transformation of Masculinity: University of Carolina Press, 2004. Trujillo, Nick. “Hegemonic Masculinity on the Mound: Media Representation of Nolan Ryan and American Sports Culture.” Critical Studies in Mass Communication (1991): pages. 1-12.