Michael Kimmel's Impact Of The Media On Men

The media plays a major role in creating our social norms, whether it be through advertisement, television, film, newspapers, or magazines. From a young age, gender roles are taught to both boys and girls. Young girls are given dolls, carriages, and easy bake ovens, while boys are given action figures, toy soldiers, and cars. Once those same young girls and boys get a bit older, the messages send through the media change. For females, these ads seem to focus on physical appearance, during a time when self-esteem is most important in their lives.

Advertisers understand the art in how to deliver a message in a specific mood or tone in there commercial. They know how to get current emotions out of and expertly exploit them to sell products and services. To some men like they are always trying to find their own true meaning of how to be a man. Whether it’s the job you have, the image you set, how big and strong you are or the women you have around you, challenging a mans or anybody’s point of view of looking at things are some of the most useful for advertisers to exploit, in a recent TECATE ad, different shot of men were being shown doing all this so-called manly stuff showing how they look, what job they had, how famous they were, having intense

Eating disorders are not the only thing males also suffer from. Expectations from the media are also a strong push into worries about body image. Despite popular belief, guys struggle with images broadcasted by the media as much as girls do. Andrew Shrout, a junior at U.C. Berkeley feels the weight that is put on him to “be a man” and pretend like nothing is wrong. “Men are pressured to have as little fat as possible--but you’ve got to pretend like you don’t watch what you eat” (Alpert 1). Also, men are expected to “up their game” as women get more power financially as well as keep their bodies well maintained. Clinical instructor at the Harvard Medical school psychiatry department Roberto Olivardia states that men and young boys deal with the same images broadcasted out as women and young girls do. “Boys are growing up now with the billboard of the guy with perfect pecs and biceps” (Alpert 2). Media pushes the perfect way to look at men in commercials, magazines, male models, and even movies. Girls often complain about the unfair portrayal of women in comic books and video games with enormous boobs and tiny waists, but guys deal

In the video “Killing Us Softly”, Jean Kilbourne explains how ads portray women in our world. Women are portrayed as fragile, more vulnerable, and less powerful. Ads are photoshopped to make their bodies the “ideal image” of what women should look like. Ads promote sexual and unhealthy images of women. The pictures are photoshopped making the models body shape and skin color completely different to what her actual body looks like. It changes her face to look more appealing, body shape thinner, white or light skinned, and bigger breasts. Ads also create a climate for violence against women. Ads portray men as strong, big, and more powerful. Men don’t live in a world where their bodies are criticized and judged every day. Men are less likely

As a boy grows into a man he faces the ever-raising mountain of masculinity. In regards to the occurrence, he finally reaches maturity he has no choice but in order to fight to retain his measly sense of manhood. He is not allowed to act feminine or else he’s not man enough, he can’t show his emotions, he has to hide that he can do anything a woman can do sans give birth. Boys grow up being told they are not allowed to cry and that they are supposed to be tough, that they are not able to be like girls and in the event that they are then they are not real boys. This concept is known as toxic masculinity, some people are not aware that men are being forced to suppress their emotions or even that toxic masculinity should be a topic that is

“The Mask You Live In” is a documentary that brings to light the outdated social constructs that create an idea of masculinity that is impacting men negatively. From a very young age, men are constantly told to “be a man” and to “reject all aspects of femininity”. During the critical points of development in young boys, they are told to push down feelings of empathy, sadness, or really any emotion other than anger or general happiness. As the boys grow older, they feel that they have nowhere to go or nobody to talk to about any of the suppressed feelings mentioned before. This can lead to many mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, and leaving these untreated can lead to suicide, which is the third leading cause of death in boys. Unfortunately, less than 50% of men do not seek mental health treatment. Many of the boys in the film felt that they are not allowed to talk about what is really going on internally in terms of emotions. A segment of the documentary includes an after-school discussion on masculinity led by assistant principal Ashanti Branch. He asks the group of teen boys to take out a piece of paper and write the image of themselves they think other people see on a mask on the front of the page. The teens write down various responses like funny, tough, and strong. Then on the back, Branch asks them to write what people don’t see. Almost all the answers reveal the same emotions underneath, which are anger and isolation. This displays how much men hide from

Over time, media has played a part in shaping our depiction and understanding of males

“Depression in men can often be hidden, overlooked, not discussed or acted out” (Brownhill, Wilhelm, Barclay & Schmied 2005) this because of the stereotype imposed on men and their inability to portray their emotions to others. While parents believe that teaching their sons to be tough young will help them better adjust to peers in school they are also emphasizing that when they grow up they should be dominant and look for ways they can portray that. This leads to men doing things that he might not want to do, but feel has no other option because if done otherwise he will be judged and even bullied by other men around him who were also raised with the same mentality. This paper will place focus on the hardships that men face when trying to live by the stereotype of men being

As Paff and Buckley Lakner (1997) stipulated that advertising has historically included stereotypical and unrealistic images of women. Furthermore, women’s body are presented as an object by the media, and therefore some women become to view their body as an objects to themselves, object that are subject to critique when they are in front of a mirror (p. 29). Additionally, the media implies that been beautiful has a social benefits and advantages, and some women try to get those advantages, while others may feel frustrated and unattractive. Having negative thoughts about ourselves may cause stress, depression, and decrease our view of oneself. The unrealistic portray of women by the media, have bought society and culture to believe that the ideal body image that a woman should have to achieve happiness is to be

There are certain commercials and ads that target women and men. Makeup products and Health commercials like Maybelline, Lancôme, and weight loss commercials target women to make them feel as if they are not pretty enough or even skinny enough. There is an imaginary look that a woman should look like where models that are super tall and anorexic are the norm, so therefore they tackle women psychological because woman are concerned about being overweight or not looking beautiful. What is beautiful? What the media has proclaimed to be beautiful is the definition for women who watch these consistent commercials. Also, Commercials use Pathos for women “sentimental,” commercials that make them feel guilty whether

However out of these four traits the most popular ones are toughness as emotional control and danger as exciting, because advertisers know that these are the most attainable for their potential customers.In fact, demographics are a key factor when it comes to deciding on what is advertised. In an age where everyone is rushing to grow up, advertisers are starting to appeal to younger and younger women, and with magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Sports Illustrated or others lining the shelves at the supermarket they are easily accessible to a larger population. Majority of the audiences for these magazines are young men and women who are more susceptible to influence. The majority of young women who read these magazines want to fit in to society. In an effort to do so they try to mirror what is desirable enough to be in advertisements. Women aren’t the only ones being targeted, most advertisements depicting hyper-masculinity were targeted at younger, less educated readers who are more insecure. this is because older men are surer of themselves and less likely to look towards to ads for a guideline about how to be masculine. Advertisers systematically target people who are more susceptible to being influenced because they have a stronger desire to fit in to society. Young males like females have a desire to overcome their insecurities. These men see magazine advertisements as an example of appropriate ways to express masculinity. Regardless of gender, all young adult are at a point in life where there are many transitionary elements, they are desperate to establish a constancy, and they look to magazines to achieve this. Advertisers understand the usage of gender ideals and norms in

When women are online, they are bombarded with all different types of images that negatively impact their self worth. This has been shown to have major health effects on women of a variety of ages. When performing an experiment with measuring women body image issues, they recorded their anger, depression, and anxiety before and after they see the models and then measure how it effects the majority of the group (Heinberg 1). The study showed that individuals who were exposed to ads with images in them showed much higher levels of anxiety and depression than those who were exposed to ads without images. Also, some of the participants became, “more dissatisfied with their appearance following exposure to commercials illustrating thinness/attractiveness” (Heinberg

“Stop with the emotions and stop with the tears. Be a man.” Most men in our society can remember the first time that these words were said to them. Ex-football player Joe Ehrmann believes the phrase “be a man” is “one of the most destructive phrases in this culture.” When some men hear this, they accept the false need for masculinity and begin to comply with that value, but some don’t conform. Whether it’s on purpose or by chance, some men feel as if they are able to express their emotions, and sometimes those people are pushed towards violence and suicide by the more “masculine” men of our society. This ideal of our country and it’s repercussions compare very similarly to George Orwell’s 1984, where the government’s entrenched ideals caused

Men make up nearly 80% of all committed suicides, and behind almost all of these cases is someone who as a young boy was told not to cry or express emotion, because it was not “manly’ and defied “traditional gender roles.” This is not a coincidence, as those two factors are intrinsically connected, and show in certain cases how something like tradition can be incredibly harmful. Tradition is

Although complementary, the stories told about masculinity and femininity have very different impacts on those that feel pressured to conform to them, or are subject to experience their effects by others who do. A particularly insidious source of these stories comes from advertisements, as noted by Jean Kilbourne in Killing Us Softly 4 (2010). She quotes a statement by the editor in chief of an advertising magazine that “only 8% of an ad’s message is received by the conscious mind. The rest is worked and reworked deep within the recesses of the brain”. The internalization of the messages from these advertisements unwittingly teaches men and women what is expected of them, and what is desirable. For women, it is taught that femininity requires flawless beauty, with unnaturally smooth skin (preferably light-toned), shiny hair, dimple-free curves cinched by a tiny waist, and a graceful demeanor. It is taught that women must pursue this image, whether it be through the purchase of cosmetics or surgical procedures, or diet products and exercise programs. These advertisements often depict women as having elegance and sensuality in their passiveness—lounging around as they enjoy beauty products or indulgent foods, or draped upon powerful men. They must act as though they enjoy being objectified; welcoming men’s advances, even in violent or dangerous situations. In contrast, men in advertisements are encouraged to model masculinity through violence, dismissal of emotions in