The respondents to this survey were able to come up with a very wide variety of stereotypical adjectives to describe themselves. Among the words associated with flute and clarinet were bitchy, stupid, stuck-up, prissy and useless, as well as many stereotypes concerning sexuality (particularly chastity). There were many other words used, and identities implied, but the general idea is the same. However, there are also derogatory words associated with just about every section of the band regardless of gender, and so the more important theme on which to focus is the idea that flute and clarinet are just for girls.
Besides the idea that flute and clarinet are only for girls, this also includes the idea that flute and clarinet are not for boys. What happens to the male flute player when he enters this field that so embodies the feminine ideal? Inevitably, he is labeled as homosexual and probably even harassed a bit. Even though this is not a concrete rule, and may be completely unfounded, the stereotype still exists and nearly every respondent, regardless of instrument, mentioned it in some form. Why is this? Well the typical idea of masculinity itself is a stereotype and does not necessarily conform to the individual personalities of men (nor does femininity necessarily describe the individual personalities of women). The masculine ideal is made up of power and strength and anything else that can be used to subordinate others. The object of subordination is not only women in general, but also other forms of masculinity that do not conform to the typical stereotype (almost as in “If you’re not for us, you’re against us”). A man who plays the flute is still a man, therefore he is still masculine in the dictionary sense, but he is not at all masculine by our societal definition. Therefore he does not help to promote and reproduce the generalized masculine ideal.
The concept of “hegemonic masculinity,” as introduced by sociologist R. W. Connell, is “a social ascendancy achieved in a play of social forces.” This ascendancy of one group of men over others, is “embedded in religious doctrine and practice, mass media content, wage structures, the design of housing, welfare/taxation policies and so forth.”22 So in short, while it may not always be individual men who are doing the subordinating, our culture as a whole defines masculinity in such a way that it is dependent on subordination of others to thrive. Homophobia and Homonegativism are prime examples of how fragile the masculine ideal really is. “Achieving hegemony may consist precisely in preventing alternatives from gaining cultural definition and recognition as alternatives, confining them to ghettos, to privacy, to unconsciousness.”23 Hegemonic masculinity is not necessarily violent, but it has many ways of getting its point across. Homosexuality stands in contrast to the masculine ideal as does the male who plays the flute or clarinet, therefore it is easy in the minds of some to equate the two.
In the case of the male flute player, his masculinity is insulted and stripped away from him over time, as he is labeled and degraded. “A bunch of the boys played the flute too... Except all those boys in the flute section slowly vaporized by high school.”
Most flutists said that even if they receive little respect during marching band season, they did receive a little more respect during the concert season. The music and acoustics of the indoor ensemble are different than those of the marching band and thus balance typically returns at the end of the football season. It is still a shame that for nearly half the year, flute players are continually told (even if it is meant in a joking manner) that they are useless and expendable. It is not only their peers that tell them this, but often it is their directors as well. Flutists often joke among themselves about this issue and no one seems to mind. I find it an interesting coincidence that it is a female dominated area that is continually ignored and put down. If the flute were dominated by men, would it still be expendable? Would it still receive the disrespect that it does now or would men find a way to validate the flute if it were primarily played by men? Gloria Steinem would probably say that men would find a way to hold the flute in higher esteem. This excerpt from a 1978 Gloria Steinem article demonstrates how men can find ways to validate just about anything...
So what would happen if suddenly, magically, men could menstruate and women could not?
Clearly, menstruation would become and enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event:
Men would brag about how much and how long.
Young boys would talk about it as the envied beginning of manhood. Gifts, religious ceremonies, family dinners, and stag parties would mark the day.
Men would convince women that sex is more pleasurable at “that time of the month.” Lesbians would be said to fear blood and therefore life itself, though all they needed was a good menstruating man.
The truth is that, if men could menstruate, the power justifications would go on and on.
If we let them. 25
The truth is that, if men played the flute, the power justifications would go on and on. Men would brag about how high they could play and how loud, just as they do on trumpet. Men would brag about how long they could carry a phrase without taking a breath. Men would say that since the flute takes so much air it is thus the most masculine instrument there is.
The way that flutes (as a feminine instrument) have continually been slighted says a lot about the way we treat women as a society. The flute certainly is a valid instrument and it is quite difficult to play. When a young girl is told to play flute because she is too “little” to play other instruments and when she notices that flute is a “girl’s” instrument, we are in fact teaching her that women are quite weak. “He said I was too small, and that if I wanted to be in his band I'd play flute...” By subtly (or not so subtly) telling her that other instruments are too difficult for her, she begins to think that the flute must be easy, but it is not. Because the flute takes so much air to play, it is natural that any beginner would have difficulty learning how to control this instrument, as much as any other instrument. In fact, if men really do have a larger lung capacity, should not the flute be a male dominated instrument since it requires so much air? Should it not be a male duty to step in for the weak females and play the flute since women are not physically capable of producing enough air? In short, the flute is not that easy but our girls are often told that it would be easier than most other instruments and that playing the flute is the most proper thing for girls.
Flute tends to be the default instrument for girls. When beginners have trouble with flute (a supposedly easier instrument), the message sent to them is that they are weaker human beings and weaker musicians, when in fact all the instruments are quite difficult to learn. Essentially, one might think, “if flute is this hard, its a good thing I didn’t try to play trumpet.”