Analysis of Susan Bordo's The Male Body Essay

In their research, they found that many researchers in the field of men’s studies presumed a complete separation from women that they did not even take them into consideration and only “analyzing masculinity by looking only at men and relations among men” (Connell 837). Many of the arguments on the idea of masculinity are over who in the world actually represents hegemonic masculinity. The two competing concepts that they present are whether societies use a fixed type of masculinity or that a society reverts to whatever type of man is dominant at a particular time and place. They agree that the ambiguity of what it means to be masculine, is important because it allows researchers to identify the mechanisms of hegemony more easily. They point to how regions develop models of masculine conduct which are spread by the media and celebrated by the state (838). Connell and Messerschmidt use the example of the USSR’s celebration of the Stakhanovite industrial worker, named for the coal miner Aleksandr Stakhanov who in 1935 hewed a world record 102 tons of coal in a single day, triggering a scramble by other workers to beat the record. The reality of it is that the claimed feats of Stakhanov did not acknowledge the contributions of his coworkers in his record setting day of work. In the final section of their paper Connell and Messerschmidt lay out how they believe that the idea of

Sexual objection and non-sexual objectification were mainly measured in body exposure and body movements. The different areas of a woman’s body being displayed were used to operationalize the idea of sexual objectification. Similarly, camera angles such as panning down bodies and shots down shirts were tallied to create a solid definition of “sexualizing” for the purpose of this research. (see Appendix A and B)

In Paul Theroux’s article “The Male Myth” Theroux makes a point that he does not like the stereotypes placed on men in today’s society. Theroux’s article is focused on exposing the stereotypes that men face and the reasons for their occurrence. He claims that writers and many others are directly affected by the expectations of masculinity that are thoroughly incorporated in America. The ideas of masculinity are deeply rooted in high school sports, in the view of the president, and in many other areas. Theroux attempts to prove that being a man in American is, “…pitiful, a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one’s entire life.”

With a help from three research assistants, after collecting the movies, they extracted the story lines, images, dialogues as well as songs about sexuality in the movies. As a result, in the samples of $100 Million G-Rated Movies from 1990 to 2005, including animated Disney movies, they found heterosexuality, which contained both sexiness and ogling of women’s bodies, was accountable in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Toy Story 2, and Princess Diaries, etc (Martin and Kazyak 2009). Most of men characters, as researchers observed, were more likely to gaze at women characters’ bodies in a desiring way, which was considered to be portrayed as “less serious and less powerful than hetero-romantic love” (Martin and Kazyak 2009:323). This left me a question: should girls be stunning, sexy, and beautiful so as to be noticed and loved by

Body image has always been a huge part for women in their lives. In the beginning of the essay Bordo gives a great opening with a good description that open your eyes. She speaks about how a young girl standing in the mirror who thinks she is fat when in actuality she is the right size according to her doctor’s chart. The young lady only thinks she fat because of what she sees on TV and how actress, singers, and artist’s bodies looks. With the media it has people thinking

Masculinity has changed and evolved since the beginning of human creation. Males have had to adhere to the social norms of their time to survive without undue persecution. In the beginning of the 19th century, there was a shift in the way men could attain manhood. It was no longer easy for a man to enter into manhood with straightforward expectations and rituals. The state of manhood became difficult to obtain because of its precarious nature. During the same period, the industrial revolution was in full bloom giving birth to mass information outlets like newspapers, magazines, and advertisement: media. This set a prevailing state where boys and men alike could gain material on how to become or be men

The beauty standard is a culturally constructed notion of physical attractiveness that has become increasingly imperative for women and men. However, this standard has become extremely perilous to men and women’s self-image. Camille Paglia, a highly educated individual who earned her PhD at Yale University and became a highly acclaimed author, explicates this conception in her essay “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery”. Paglia suggests that the beauty standard idealizes women to look like “sex symbols with an unattainable grandeur” (776). She continues to claim that it forces her audience of higher class women to pay large sums of money in order to alter their features ultimately conforming to a very “parochial” definition of beauty (776). Although Paglia is a highly credible source, she illogically appeals to the reader’s fears in order to persuade them. Paglia fails to give any credible outside sources which affirms her preposterous beliefs. Contrary to her inconsistencies, Daniel Akst, a social journalist and graduate from New York University provides his audience with reputable sources in order to persuade his audience. Daniel Akst believes that there needs to be a “democratization of physical beauty” in which instead of attempting to alter the beauty standard, we must first change how we view ourselves. Akst provides credible sources to establish his credibility where he observes cases studies and cultural experiments from scientists and organizations including:

Even after all the trouble women go through to look according to society’s norms, people still catch every small thing that is not perfect to society. According to Lois Tyson, “she is objectified…defined only by her difference from male norms and values, defined by what she (allegedly) lacks…” (92). Women are unmistakably different from men biologically; so why is it such a shock when she has a small part of her skin showing, just because it is her breast or any other ‘forbidden’ areas? If a woman shows her butt cheeks it is disgraceful, but if a man shows his butt cheeks, it is hot. It is the same body part just of difference sexes, yet society has labeled it differently for each sex. Women objectification should not be seen as her fault, because like every woman around her, she is doing what she has to to stay comfortable.

Masculinity is not a single-definition trait; it relies on an ever-changing spectrum which can never be truly measured because of all the different factors having to be considered. The “manly” man of the 1800’s, who’s emotions were hidden to display strength, would no longer be considered the “ideal” male in society. As shown in the ads of Suistudio; feminist ideals have permeated into the “thick coating” of the masculine archetype. No longer is “femininity” in need of the male protectorate as a sturdy platform to build a steady life on in an ever-changing world, for they are becoming one in the same. Suistudio’s recent ad campaign shows that preferred-masculinity is changing from its traditional firmness to a strength shown by a man’s emotional comfort within an evolving world while protruding the outward appearance of physical health.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and see to what extent women have been depicted within typical stereotypes, how they have been objectified and only seen as a sexual sell, and what consequences and effects these depictions can have on both the female and male audiences. The analysis is over two decades where major social changes underwent. The time after the war, being a housewife and mother was heavily implemented. Whilst after a decade, women started to step away from what was considered the norm, what was considered the ideal life. They started to fight for a better future for themselves, and a life free from their husbands ruling hand. I have chosen visual analysis of magazine front covers as my method because magazines were a major resource for both women and men at the time, it was one of their sources of information about what was going on around them. Front covers often represent the magazine or the audience it is meant for, and

Victimization for women in America is real. Women are victimized by their husbands, boyfriends, colleagues, boss’, and in some cases their parents.They are shunned if they don’t physically fit into the mold of the “ideal American woman”. Women are expected to live up to these ridiculous standards of what their bodies should look like. Americans are starting to realize that this is wrong. Women should be accepted and celebrated no matter what they look like physically. Some women are told if they are themselves then they will be alone and never married. Men are now being blamed for making women feel as though they aren’t good enough and convincing them to conform to their standards. But, are American men being victimized too? In the article “How men really feel about their bodies” Spiker explains that men of certain body types are criticized also. “Look at the standards we have to measure up to: If we’re fat, we’re labeled as beer-guzzling couch potatoes. Too thin and we’re deemed wimpy.” (72). Men are just as self-conscious about their bodies as women are.

This was an extremely interesting read, and although I am not a massive fan of the essay as a whole, I have so much I could say about the significance of Bordo's points. Her writing immediately stole my attention, mainly because she was so brazen in describing her sexual attraction, not just to the model on the page but even her admission that she found another woman to be particularly alluring. I must admit that I found myself feeling a little bit embarrassed by her words, but not for any discernible reason. Of course, as I continued reading the text, I realized my own overbearing sense of shame in admitting attraction to anyone, let alone another woman, and that certainly contributed to the thoughts I had in carrying on with the rest of the

In Susan Bordo’s “Beauty (Re)discover The Male Body, she uses advertisement as a form of her argument on how

Bordo establishes herself as an authority figure through her extensive education in English and women’s studies. In her prolific writing career, Bordo often places emphasis on Western culture and its lasting viewpoints toward gender and the body, and in view of this, Bordo’s argument paves way to influence her audience through her credibility as an expert on women and the body images that plague them. As this authority figure, Bordo claims that the media and cultural influence have created a negative influence on humanity’s conceived standard of beauty, and as a result, have caused the spread of eating disorders.

The first point I would like to make regarding the article., Beauty (Re) Discovers the Male Body, is that I agree with the general idea of the article as a whole. The article discusses the sigma of sexual orientation among American society. There are certain standards or stereotypes that a man or women of any sexually have to face. Why can’t a person in America be free to express their sexuality? It’s because of the judgment that is created through the stereotypes in American Society. I believe that American should do away with the blindness it has created and free itself to an more open minded entity that will create an environment where sexual orientation is not something that matters.