The document examines representations of masculinity in media from the 1930s to present day. It provides examples of iconic images from advertising in different decades that promoted idealized versions of manhood, often emphasizing strength, independence, and heterosexuality. More recently, representations have become more complex and varied, incorporating vulnerability and highlighting the socially constructed nature of gender roles. The document also discusses the potential influence of unrealistic media images on men's self-esteem and body image.

1. Images of Modern Men? Mediated images of Masculinity: April – May 2010

2. Your Task: Identify the different representations the Media are projecting about being a Man

3. But lets start with some iconic images in adverts from the past:

4. 1930s Men were dapper and well-mannered, women elegant and enigmatic, and cocktails a “must”.

5. Importance of War Posters

6. 1950s Consumerism swept across America like a tidal wave at the start of the fifties, with Britain following in its wake. Grinning housewives extolled the virtues of new kitchens with Formica tables, built in cupboards and fabulous labour-saving devices, whilst keeping young, slim and beautiful to please their husbands! Seemingly perfect families promoted holiday camps like Butlins, air travel, practical motoring and an ever- increasing range of food and drinks.

7. Marlboro offered an opportunity to fantasize about an escape to a mythical “Marlboro Country,” which epitomized a slower lifestyle that required a strong masculine figure to carry out tasks. This completely contradicted the growing sedentary lifestyle of working in an office. Furthermore, the Marlboro Man was always depicted alone, which evoked feelings of seclusion and the need to focus on one’s pleasures, free of social pressure. 1970s

8. 1980s Milk Tray was responsible for one of the most famous and iconic advertising campaigns in British television history. Running from 1968 to 2003, the chocolate was then advertised by the Milk Tray Man a rough, tough James Bond -style action man who goes through hell and high water to surreptitiously deliver a box of Milk Tray chocolates to a woman. The original strapline was All because the lady loves Milk Tray.

9. “The James Dean type loner; vulnerable and arrogant, soft yet muscular, tough but tender... The story lines were really much less interesting than the visual messages coming over about the male body. This is where new man advertising breaks the rules, frustrating traditional codes of masculinity. In other words, it's where marketing imagery enters the realm of sexual politics. Two features are especially worth noting. First, the fracturing and sexualization of the male body, condensed around the display of the commodity - the jeans. Cut close-up focus on bum, torso, crutch and thighs follows standard techniques of the sexual display of women in advertising over the last forty years. But now the target is men. More to the point, male sexuality is conjured up through the commodity... It was the display of the body through the product that was sexy. Belt, button-flies, jeaned thighs... was what made the ads erotic, less the flesh beneath. And so the sexual meanings in play are less to do with macho images of strength and virility (though these are certainly still present) than with the fetishized and narcissistic display - a visual erotica. These are bodies to be looked at (by oneself and other men?) through fashion codes and the culture of style.” Mort, 1988 1985 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u06rDf-kUt0

10. 1986 poster of ‘man and baby’ sold 5 million copies Its juxtaposition of a rugged male and helpless infant had instant appeal and was held as presaging the arrival of the sensitive but sexy "New Man".

11. 1990s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v5FrwSebzw&feature=related

12. Queer Ads for the straight guy 1990s

13. Works both ways:

14. 2000: Celebrity obsession dominated advertising this decade. Companies competed to have their products endorsed by the hippest musicians and singers, the biggest movie stars, the hottest supermodels, and the latest TV and sports personalities. David Beckham earned $40m (£26m) in 2009, with about 80% of that coming from sponsors such as Adidas, Giorgio Armani and Motorola.

15. 2008: Ads that were banned http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2008/jul/29/beingintheadbusiness

16. Latest: May – April 2010

17. CristianoRonaldo and Didier Drogba peel down to their posing pants in World Cup photo shoot May 2010

18. Next month Rootstein, a British firm, will unveil its Young and Restless collection, which includes a mannequin with a 35in chest and a 27in waist, 11in smaller than the average British man.

19. Quotation from ‘Beat’ an eating disorder charity "Men nowadays are subject to the same insecurities around their body and self-image as women are. Unrealistic images in the fashion world – such as these mannequins – and in the media still abound and the pressures they bring can lead to low self-esteem in often young and vulnerable people.”

20. "It is a collection dictated by current fashion trends for skinny jeans and very tight tailoring, as seen everywhere from Topman to Gucci and in the edgier fashion magazines like Numéro.” "None of the boys we used [as models for the mannequins] were remotely anorexic. They were just teenagers – the oldest one was 20, I think – so they were pubescent really. "It's a trend which you can see in celebrities and rock stars – Russell Brand has a little bit to do with it. But I am sure that muscle boys will have their time again." Kevin Arpino, creative designer at Rootstein rejects claims that his mannequins could influence men to starve themselves.

21. Dove for Men http://content.dove.us/mencare/

22. Most popular adverts on YouTube survey: Old Spice's 'Your Man Could‘ 17 Apr 2010Daily Telegraph http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE’

23. Beer Ads: are they worth looking at for our study? http://www.budweiser.com/en/downloads/commercials/commercial-01.aspx#/en/downloads/commercials/commercial-01

24. "THE CULTURAL MEANING OF BEER COMMERCIALS" Lance State (1991) Beer commercials are aimed at a male audience, and challenge is central to the myth of masculinity. According to this myth (or stereotype or social role), men demonstrate their masculinity by: taking risks, facing danger, and overcoming challenges Or symbolic tests of strength, skill, and self-control Challenge is also present in the ads that present beer as a medium for male-bonding: men socialising in groups, telling jokes, trading insults etc Or beer as a means of facilitating interaction between the sexes. In these commercials, the challenge to the male is to remain cool and calm in the presence of beautiful women.

25. New wave of beer ads: a call to ‘Man Up’

26. Obama: image of modern masculinity? http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5092946.ece

27. So, what is the representation of men as a collective group?

28. “In contrast with the past - or the modern popular view of the past - we no longer get singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities (although certain groups of features are clearly promoted as more desirable than others). Instead, popular culture offers a range of stars, icons and characters from whom we can acceptably borrow bits and pieces of their public persona for use in our own. In addition, of course - and slightly contradictorily - individuals are encouraged to 'be yourself', and to be creative - within limits - about the presentation of self. This opens the possibilities for gender trouble, as discussed above. Today, nothing about identity is clear-cut, and the contradictory messages of popular culture make the 'ideal' model for the self even more indistinct - which is probably a good thing. Some critics say that the media should offer traditional role models and reassuring certainties, but this view is unlikely to survive. Radical uncertainties and exciting contradictions are what contemporary media, like modern life, is all about.” David Gauntlett Conclusion?

29. Men’s Magazines http://www.fhm.com/ http://www.menshealth.co.uk/ http://www.nuts.co.uk/ David Gauntlett: “men's magazines have an almost obsessive relationship with the socially constructed nature of manhood. Gaps in a person's attempt to generate a masculine image are a source of humour in these magazines, because those breaches reveal what we all know - but some choose to hide - that masculinity is a socially constructed performance anyway. The continuous flow of lifestyle, health, relationship and sex advice, and the repetitive curiosity about what the featured females look for in a partner, point to a clear view that the performance of masculinity can and should be practiced and perfected.”