Masculinity in Tangled (2010)

Masculinity

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, masculinity is defined as “the quality or nature of the male sex: the quality, state, or degree of being masculine or manly”. This term has popped up everywhere since the beginning of the 21st century. Whether in conversations, newspapers, advertisements, etc., it seems as if everyone is talking about it.

Also called manhood or manliness, it encompasses “what it means to be a man?” Masculinity is a socially constructed notion; this means that society sets up expectations for men and their roles, attitudes, behaviors, and tendencies. Although every society has varying views, there is mutual consent about what manliness typically means.

When talking about masculinity, it hard to ignore gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes have been in the spotlight for quite some time and feminism seeks to abolish them. Talking about male gender stereotypes, traits commonly associated with males include aggressive, independent, stubborn, dominant, active, worldly, insensitive, decisive, laconic, tough, unemotional, logical, analytical, and blunt. Although some traits can be debated, this list generally fits the universal male stereotype.

Michael Kimmel, the first person to start America’s first master’s degree program in Masculinities Studies, asks two essential questions: What does it mean to be a good man? What does it mean to be a real man? Although the qualities may differ in both cases, there is some general agreement that a good man is a person who is caring, altruistic, honest, loyal, and responsible. On the other hand, a real man is bold, daring, and decisive. A person who “walks and talks like a man and suppresses any weakness”.Therefore, we see a sharp contrast between a real man and a good one.

How tangled is TANGLED??

In Tangled, there is a plethora of male characters: Flynn Rider (the male protagonist), the ruffians and thugs at the Snuggly Duckling, Maximus (the lead palace horse), and the twin thieves. Tangled has more male characters than female but the male characters depict a few traditionally feminine qualities as well.

Flynn, the iconic thief

One thing we notice, from the very beginning, is that while the story seems to revolve around Rapunzel and her magic hair, Flynn is the narrator and gets more screen time than her. In a way, we can say that he is dominant. He exercises his excessive control despite the story not being his. Flynn exhibits elementary masculine qualities. He is strong, brave, and independent. We notice how daring he is by trying to steal the crown in broad daylight. The palace is heavily guarded, but he manages to pull off the stunt anyway, nabbing the crown and escaping punishment.

He is blunt; he asks what he wants and does not consider the feelings of others while making his point. This can be seen when he asks Rapunzel why “[she] never left that tower and [if she] still going back?” He does not consider how she must be feeling at that time. She is at war with herself for finally taking a decision but also betraying her mother. Nonetheless, he asks his question.
He is also worldly in a literal and metaphorical way. Worldly is probably the best word to describe Flynn.

In the “I have a dream” song, he confesses that his dream is to live on a private island “surrounded by enormous piles of money”. Therefore, he is materialistic and concerned about money. He has also “seen it all”. He has been out in the world discovering and exploring while Rapunzel has been locked away in a tower for eighteen years. Both points indicate that he is worldly.

Flynn’s aggressiveness is only shown once (probably because it’s a kids’ movie) when Rapunzel remains firm about going to see the lanterns. He does not want to accompany her but cannot leave with his satchel. At one point he breaks and says in an angry tone “What’s it going to take for me to get my satchel back??!” Although it does not seem to be very aggressive as Rapunzel counters his remark by saying “I will use this (the frying pan)” and he puts his hands up in surrender. Therefore, this quality is not apparent but is still there.

Although it’s difficult to understand how a petty thief can be logical, Flynn manages to show off this attribute when he lists the number of reasons why he cannot help Rapunzel in her quest. He says that “the kingdom and [he] I are not simpatico at the moment, so I [he] won’t be taking you anywhere.” Instead of giving any emotional reason, he gives a logical explanation. Spectators will later notice how logical he is when he and Rapunzel are talking. She tends to use more emotional words while he speaks in logic.

One thing we notice about Flynn, even though he fits the male stereotype quite well, is how glimpses of his emotional side show up at different times throughout the movie. The first time we see him opening up to Rapunzel is when they are both trapped in an overflowing cave. Rapunzel cries for putting her life and his in danger and Flynn reciprocates by admitting a deep secret. “My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. Someone might as well know.”

Another occasion is when Maximus saves him from being hanged. Flynn again shows his emotions by saying “I feel like this whole time we’ve just been misunderstanding one another.”
However, since Maximus conforms more strictly to the male stereotype, he doesn’t continue and brushes off the topic nor does Maximus reciprocate.

So… we like Flynn??

Conclusively, it is not wrong to say that Flynn’s masculinity is made up of ninety-five percent of male stereotypes and five percent of who he is as a person. He shows his manliness to other male characters but with Rapunzel, he is softer and more openly emotional. Flynn is also charming and humorous which makes his persona more attractive. Although he does not fulfill Disney’s prince charming criteria, he is well-loved by the audience due to his authenticity when he is with Rapunzel.

Ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me??

If we talk about the ruffians and thugs at the Snuggly ducking, their outward appearance is nothing but “manly”. They have “blood in [their] beard” which shows this toughness, cruelty, and competitiveness. Their competitive side comes out when they are all fighting for Flynn; they all need the reward money on Flynn’s head. However, just like Flynn, they open up to Rapunzel about their dreams and wishes. They are unafraid to be themselves in her presence and even sing a musical number with her called “I have a dream”.

The tough bros

The twin thieves, also known as Flynn’s betrayed comrades, also show their masculinity through their physical appearance and speech. They do not sing and are laconic. They are tough and muscly. They show their aggressiveness when Flynn betrays them and runs off with the crown. They are bold and daring when they knock out the palace guard despite being in handcuffs. Finally, when Mother Gothel approaches them with a plan to get back at Flynn and become rich, they show off their worldliness.

Maximus. The Palace horse

Maximus is the lead palace horse—in charge of catching criminals. He is tough and daring. In the fight scene at the beginning of the movie when Flynn and Maximus fight for the satchel, we see his relentlessness and commitment to his responsibility. He does not let Flynn get it at any cost despite putting his life in danger. His independence is illustrated when he searches for Flynn alone and does not rest until he finds him. He is dominant as well—especially when he is communicating with the other horses. It has been noticed that Maximus is “just very masculine in general, even for a horse”.