He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was very successful in the early 1980s. There were action figures, cartoons, and comics centered around a blond man and muscular man who carried a magical blade known as the "Sword of Power". This sword would make him the most powerful man in the universe when he held it aloft and called upon the power of Greyskull. Once transformed into He-Man, he fought Skeletor, his mortal enemy, to keep the power of Castle Greyskull out of Skeletor's evil clutches. In the 25 years since American children first watched Masters of the Universe, the idea of ​​what makes a man masculine has changed little. In “Masculinity” by Germaine Greer, she explores the concept that cultural construction is responsible for learned behaviors in men. In American society, many media outlets have contributed to transforming men into masculine men. Three of these media are television, video games and hip hop. Television plays the most influential role in shaping American men. This is largely due to the fact that almost every household has at least one television, and in most cases, multiple televisions. There are many channels that are largely aimed at male audiences. For example, sports channels feature well-defined men in physical competition. Greer points out that “he is encouraged to participate in team sports, to get used to the jostling…” (896). Contact sports are considered the ultimate test of manhood, with the final score being a standard by which masculinity can be measured. Another network aimed at men is the outdoor channel. It is only dedicated to hunting and fishing men. These activities date back to the beginning of civilization, when men were responsible for providing food for their families...... middle of paper ...... people like 50 Cent receive and as Greer notes, "To succeed, young men must achieve a certain measure of respect from other men; it is the driving force behind all their behavior, at work and at play" (897). All of society seems to respect these artists and as far as the young boy is concerned, it is because the artist has proven himself to be the ultimate man It would seem that American society today is the "sword of power" used to transform young boys into. men they are meant to become. As Greer believes, “masculinity is a system. It is the complex of learned behaviors and subtly coded interactions...” (898). many means of communication that help shape men With so much pressure to be masculine, one might wonder if this “magic sword” is not sometimes too heavy for our young men to carry...