Podcasts History BackStory 289: Man Up: A Look at Masculinity in American History

289: Man Up: A Look at Masculinity in American History

Published: Aug. 9, 2019, 4 p.m.

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It\\u2019s an age-old question: What makes a man? Americans have thought about it for generations. So this week on BackStory, we go back into the archives to look at past segments that explore the changing perceptions of American manhood. We\\u2019ll look at why so many men started growing beards in 19th century America, and we\\u2019ll explore how ideas about the perfect male body used to be very different from what you might think of today.
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Image: The \\u201cManly art of self-defense\\u201d Newsboys\\u2019 Protective Association, Cincinnati, Ohio, August 1908. Source: Library of Congress
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BackStory is funded in part by our listeners. You can help keep the episodes coming by supporting the show: https://www.backstoryradio.org/support\\xa0
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