Is That What Real Man is Supposed to Look Like?

(Continuity & Change; evidence, statistics)

It has become a widely accepted fact that images of women in media affect young girls in a profound way. They think that to fit in and be normal, they have to look like the beautiful and lean women in the magazines and on TV. They develop eating disorders; they diet too much and even turn to cosmetic surgery. A study done recently in Fiji showed that the percentage of women with an eating disorder greatly increased after the introduction of television to Fiji. Before there was TV, only three percent of teenage girls admitted to vomiting to control their weight. After three years of watching emaciated actresses on TV, fifteen percent reported it. Seventy four percent reported feeling fat or too big and sixty two percent said that they had dieted in the last month (Chiu Dimension Magazine). While dieting and keeping thin is normal here, women in Fiji considered a more robust look to be more typical. Television changed the female body image in the minds of the Fijians.

While the public eye and the controversy were directed at young girls, the media began to reach out to young men as well. The body image for men has slowly but surely drifted to more muscular, powerful and violent. To find an example of this new and "improved" image that young men are growing up trying to achieve, one doesn't have to look very far. Take a look at the magazines in the grocery store that are aimed at men, for example, the aptly named Men's Health or GQ. The men featured on the covers of many men's magazines promote the bulked up look. They promote an image that is strong, muscular and even intimidating. The male body image today is all about power. Granted, females still have a worse problem with insecurity with image and appearance. However, the statistics show that more and more men are dissatisfied with their image. Women only lead men in dissatisfaction by ten percent.

There is a logical appeal in this kind of advertising. Men want to know how to make women more attracted to them. Men in ads for health, fashion, sports and even men portrayed in women's magazines are becoming bigger and stronger. Many times, a beautiful woman accompanies the model in an ad. Of course the only way to get a girl that pretty is to look exactly like the guy.

This is one example taken from the Men's Health website. If one was to take a gander around one of the magazines or the website, one would not find a single man who doesn't have tight abs such as these, with the exception of a before picture in a transformation story. The definition of the abdominal muscles is extreme. What the ads neglect to mention is how much time and effort it would take to achieve the perfection portrayed in the picture. With that kind of tone and strength, one would have nothing to worry about, more confidence and a better chance at an exciting relationship with the opposite sex. That's what they want you to take from the ad, whether it's true or not.

It's not just the style and physique that's changing. Cosmetic companies are getting in on the action by creating cosmetics for men. Of course they don't call it makeup but they subversively disguise their products with masculine names such as grooming gear or skin supplies. Men today, the cosmetic companies decree, should have silky smooth skin because women will want to touch it more.

How many women in advertisements for skin care have you seen splashing water on their faces? Well, now there are men doing it too. Nivea has cashed in on the new image obsession as well. Men should be blemish free and smooth. The days of the battle scar being attractive are over. Notice as well that he's not just some guy. He looks pretty good. You can imagine him as having the same physical prowess as the models for overall health and fitness. He's a man and he's using skin care. This helps to counter the previous schema that men don't use cosmetics and aren't pretty.

There are many men out there that can relate to the problem of body image. We all know who they are and chances are that you were one of them. We all know them as nerds and dorks, the skinny and ugly kids who've never had a girlfriend. In their minds, it's a serious problem. They see these models in men's magazines with the muscles and the attractive women. They go to the mirror and curse the flab they've allowed themselves to collect while writing working and trying to make ends meet.

The ads directed toward that kind of audience often portray the average Joe, someone they can relate to, as having a dilemma. The ad will start off with someone who looks good physically, but doesn't just look good; he has a smile on his face. He tells how great his life is now and how it used to be. Then, the "before" picture pops up, and he looks like someone in the audience being targeted. He was fat and weak and unhappy. The before picture is usually not very flattering on purpose. The picture is grainy, with terrible lighting and the person in the picture is unsavory and unhappy looking. The audience can hardly believe they're looking at the same person. It seems like some kind of magical transformation over night. Next, the ad flashes over to the new Joe and how sexy he looks and how many women he has gotten with his new look.

Take the ads for Bally Total Fitness Centers for example. They appeal to those who don't have the muscles, the machines to obtain them or the will power. They appeal by showing regular people testifying about how much weight they lost and in how little time. You also won't find a single woman in the commercial wearing more than a sports bra and some skin-tight hot pants. This is most likely meant as a two-prong attack on the human psyche. Women will want to look like the women in the ad and men will want to join up so they can watch the women do leg lifts in the aerobics class as well as work on their own appearance. This keen use of pathos reaches out to the men who always take the treadmill directly behind the one with the cute blond on it.

One last element of the advertising rhetoric is the ethos. Do these ads seem credible? The company has logically appealed to the target audience, they've evoked an emotional understanding, but why should all those nerds out there turn to this company's product? The company will give you your money back if you are unsatisfied within 30 days. There's no risk, well, no obvious risk. Depending on the product, such as diet pills, there's sometimes a list of side effects read too fast to comprehend. Who actually listens to that anyway? So the company is credible because they're willing to back up their product with a cash-back guarantee.

So, did they reel you in? Did they play on your personal dissatisfaction with your appearance and lifestyle? Did they give you a logical reason to want such a product? Did they make their deal seem foolproof? Are you thinking about turning your life around by joining that gym or taking those pills?