What counts as being masculine?

After our discussion in class on masculinity, I began to think about my own perceptions of masculinity and how my perceptions have changed throughout the year. Being from New Jersey, where there is an endless number of muscular italian guys with tan skin, gelled hair, and sports cars, the cycle is constantly alive as this is often one of the main forms of masculinity seen by some people in New Jersey and definitely for people who live outside of New Jersey. Watching the trailer for the new show 'Jersey Shore' on MTV, these guys are seen caring about nothing else except how good their bodies look and how many girls they can get in a night. Since coming to New York, masculinity is something that doesn't have to be outwardly displayed. In New York City and especially NYU, there is a large openly gay population, suggesting that people are more relaxed and open to being themselves. The normal components that would make someone "gay" in a place like the Jersey Shore, like dressing well, being skinny, having a sense of style and perfectly trimmed hair, are things that do not define masculinity in NYC. It's a breath of fresh air - to see a men be comfortable in their own skin, in my opinion, is the best form of masculinity. New York has paved a new way of defining masculinity; let's hope the rest of the country catches on.