This essay analyzes Susan Faludi's article "The Naked Citadel" to argue that the admission of women to the Citadel military school does more than challenge misogynist attitudes — it reveals that the institution functions as a refuge from broader society's rigid expectations of masculinity. Drawing on Faludi's vignettes about Shannon Faulkner's enrollment and life inside the Citadel, the paper examines how Western gender role revisions have created confusion around masculinity, and how the presence of women forces male cadets to confront and potentially revise their understanding of gender identity and societal pressures.
The presence of women at the Citadel has provided the men of the school with an opportunity to reflect on their attitudes toward masculinity and gender equality. In her article "The Naked Citadel," Susan Faludi describes the intense and negative reaction of Citadel cadets to the enrollment of women in the institution. It is through the presence of women that the men of the institution have an opportunity to begin to understand that the Citadel has provided them with an environment free of many of the larger society's expectations of masculinity. As such, the presence of women in the Citadel reveals that the cadets' reactions against women are not necessarily sparked only by misogynist attitudes. This rejection of women is sparked largely by a very real desire among these young cadets to be free of the influences and restrictions placed on them by a larger society that holds a narrow and rigid understanding of masculinity.
Western society has undergone a number of dramatic revisions of gender roles over the past several generations. Women have won the right to vote, they are increasingly employed outside the home, and are often seen in positions of political and economic power. One of the consequences of this change in gender roles is a great deal of confusion about the status of masculinity in society. Men are expected to be strong and steadfast; affection between men is often discouraged and seen as evidence of homosexuality.
In The Naked Citadel, Susan Faludi describes life at the Citadel, a military school, through a number of vignettes. Her article deals specifically with the harassment faced by Shannon Faulkner, the first woman to be admitted to the Citadel. Faludi's vignettes focus on a variety of themes, including a description of Jane Bishop's classroom and a scene in the courtroom.
Faludi notes that the Citadel has a long history of treating women with little or no respect. This attitude toward women is perpetuated in many ways, including the overt harassment of female cadets. Faludi portrays life in the Citadel as homoerotic, often violent, and characterized by domination and sadism.
Faludi notes that the Citadel provides an environment where many traditional standards and assumptions about masculinity are preserved. In a sense, the Citadel serves as a "refuge" from the changes of the past decades. At a cursory glance, it is a place dominated by men and virile displays of violence, sadism, and traditional male hierarchy. Yet a closer examination reveals that the Citadel may also be a place where men can escape many of the pressures that larger society places on their masculinity.
The women of the Citadel have a great deal to teach the men of the institution. The presence of women can act as a catalyst that forces the men to examine their institution and their attitudes toward masculinity. Ultimately, the presence of women may provide these men with a — perhaps unwelcome — opportunity to examine their understanding of masculinity. In this sense, women at the Citadel offer the men in the same institution an opportunity to examine their role in society and potentially make changes in their attitudes and behaviors.
An understanding of female gender roles can help illuminate the role of masculinity in our society. As Faludi has noted, "Feminism has shown us that what we think of as feminine is actually defined by cultural messages and political agendas. The same holds true for men and for what constitutes masculinity. Being a feminist opens your eyes to the ways men, like women, are imprisoned in cultural stereotypes" (Halpern).
Importantly, women in the Citadel can help the men of the institution better understand their role as men in society. While life in the Citadel is often seen as a throwback to times when women had little or no power, there is in fact a much larger issue at stake. The presence of women forces us to see that the men of the Citadel have created a refuge from society in general — not merely a refuge from women. In the Citadel, men are free from the pressures of the larger culture. As such, the presence of any outsider, in this case women, causes the men of the Citadel to feel that their safe sanctuary has been violated.
"Women expose flaws in cadets' misogynist belief systems"
The women of the Citadel provide the men of the school with an opportunity to better understand the impact that society has on their attitudes toward masculinity. The women can help the men understand the reasons behind the school's function as a "refuge" from larger society's expectations of male behavior. In this sense, the presence of women at the Citadel can provide a very real impetus for change among the cadets in the institution.
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