The document discusses the emergence of the "New Man" in the late 1970s and 1980s as a response to societal changes. Traditional masculine jobs declined as women gained equal rights and the workplace emphasized communication over physical strength. Men became more interested in their appearance and concerned with traditionally feminine interests. The film American Psycho criticizes the "New Man" as a artificial consumerist construct that has replaced authentic masculinity with an obsession with products and image over substance. A key scene from the film portrays the main character Patrick Bateman as the literal embodiment of the shallow, narcissistic "New Man" obsessed with his appearance, lifestyle and consumption.