Mens Magazines and their relation to the crisis of Masculinity

The issue of masculinity is a fairly new to the general public. This issue came to the main stream surface in the early nineties with the explosion of men's and men's health types of magazines. Using the power of the media these magazines give readers a picture of what is suppose to be ideal for men to look like and other types of things men are suppose to be doing. I will be using several images from men's magazines to help further develop this topic.




Guys growing up in the days before the crisis of masculinity didn't have images coming at you from every direction telling you that you need to look like this or have have these kinds of things to make you manly and if you didn't have these things or didn't fit the ideal image of a masculine man you were considered to be less manly or masculine. The pictures of guys on these magazine covers are of men you have spent countless hours in the gym working out to obtain these muscular bodies. These magazines dont give an accurate portrayal of the average american man. I probably know only one or two people that have bodies anywhere even close to as muscular as the ones portrayed in these magazines. the media is basically saying to the ameican public that unless a man looks like this they are not attractive or good looking. There are many things that come into account when I tend to view someon as beautiful, it is not just the way their body looks their are much more important things than just having a rock hard body.



These magazines also have all kinds of how to or help kinds of articles. These articles are usually about sex or sex related things. They give the readers the thought that if they arent doing these type of thingd in the bedroom then they are doing things incorrectly or the wrong way. These articles I think almost breed insecurities in male readers. When reading these magazines I feel that people are using these magazines for consultations and help regarding dating and sex. Muscles and sex moves arent going to make you a better person, they might make you stronger and possibly better in the bed room but it doesnt help you at all in other aspects of life. Theres much more to people than muscles and sex These magazines stress the physical aspects rather then intellecutal aspects. It seems to me that these magazines are trying to turn the american male into a muscle bound sex crazed monster. These types of magazines and images are how other cultures view us through our media and films. I wish these magazines would offer some advice on stuff other than muscles and sex.