Conclusions

Over the years, many researchers have attempted to explain men's behavior, thinking and lifestyle choices. By uncovering stereotypes and influences, it may be possible to understand, and thus change, the American definition of masculinity and what makes a "real man."  By identifying and changing these masculine factors that men rely on to define themselves, it will undoubtedly reduce violence against women, violence against other men and hate crimes against men of color.

Men and Violence

Not only are men stereotyped as competitive, aggressive and violent (usually sexually) against women, men are stereotyped as violent against EVERYONE. They are often portrayed as gun-loving, bomb-dropping, fist-throwing, killing machines. As media promotes this stereotype, men may believe that their masculinity is defined by how well they fight or how violent they are. Below are some examples I found in the Ann Arbor area of violence that is directed at men. These images are not only sexist and racist but they send the message that violent men are tough men.

 This is a boxing game at a local arcade - the goal is to fight your way up so you go from the weakest man ("Anemic") to the strongest fighting machine ("Boxer" - even stronger than "Superman"). With "Killer" as a desirable level for players to reach says a great deal about violence defining a strong man.

  These are magazines from a local bookstore - even video games promote male violence.

This is another arcade game - not only are the men depicted as muscular and violent but they look downright vicious. 

Directions for how to play the games - and how to shoot a gun. Men, not women, are depicted in the illustrated directions. 

Not an unusual sight to see in an arcade - life-size guns. 

The image above is very "Rambo" - one of the most violent films ever produced. 

And of course, there are minority stereotypes. The Asian man is depicted as a violent karate master and the black man is shown as an elite, violent boxer.

Jean Kilbourne - Women in Advertising

Jean Kilbourne is an author, a feminist and a filmmaker. My girlfriend passed along this video (there are actually 5 parts to the speech) where Jean discusses women in advertising. While much of the video is disturbing and frustrating, Jean is quite humorous and has a very unique way of approaching the subject of exploitation of women as a product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjt77lBNjwM&feature=related
(The other 4 segments can also be found on YouTube when visiting the link above.)

Using Women as Objects

It is no surprise that many times, women are used as objects (often sexual) in commercials, advertisements, songs, and other forms of media that are directed at men. Women are represented in a variety of ways to gain male attention - overly sexual, animalistic, dazed/confused, unintelligent and vulnerable, just to name a few. Advertisements often trivialize sex, dehumanize women (although it is sometimes done to males), devalue women as people and use violence to sell products.

 

These books, while sold in a sex store, trivialize women for the intention of gaining male attention. These women are shown as WANTING sex, as vulnerable, not to mention, fitting the female beauty standards. These books also imply a few things about men: 1) That men need guide books because they do not know how to make (good) love to their partners 2) Men (particularly the 'Modern Man') have heterosexual partners 3) What women want in a sex partner can be summed up in a book - all men have to do is read and they're know the secrets and 4) That men are sex machines and that women, in turn, will make men happy just via sex... not intimacy, not relationships. These books say that men have a short order that can easily be filled in a matter of minutes. No pun intended. 

These pictures I wanted to include to show that men can be sexually trivialized as well. Although, these men are shown as strong, delightful, "man of the year" or "tall, dark & handsome." While men can be trivialized in advertisements too, it is never to the same dehumanizing extent as women are. 

The pictures below were taken from internet searches of popular clothing companies (known for their sexual trivialization of women and depictions of violence - particularly against women - in the form of rough sex.)

 The woman is pinned to the ground with the man on top of her, keeping her from escaping.

 The man has the woman thrown to his side, like a rag doll - lifeless.

 This image implies women are promiscuous and/or easily taken advantage of. 

 This ad seems to be for an orgy instead of underwear, where the women are outnumbered the men. Coincidence? Doubt it.

 This woman is dehumanized to be a mere object. The focus is on her breast that is covered by the man's grasp. With her eyes closed and her left arm covering her far breast, there is a sense that she is being touched against her will. 

 I found this picture particularly interesting as it supports the stereotype that black men like to be sexual with white women. This photo insinuates that the man is not only a player but that he is domineering the white woman. 

And there's more:

 Sex sells perfume. 

 The picture above insinuates that women will do anything (sexual)  for fun - including make out, while topless, with two topless, muscular men. What annoys me most about this photo is the look on the guy's face on the right. He seems all too amused with the situation and taking advantage of the girl.

This photo is, in one word, DISTURBING. Not only does it use a woman's body to sell a product (which I have yet to figure out), it does not even show the woman's head or face. The woman is completely dehumanized to a mere sex object used by the man for sexual purposes.  

 This picture, pictured above, attempts to use women and skin to sell ...jeans? As a photographer, I admire this picture's artistic qualities greatly. As a woman, I find it disheartening. The man has the woman pushed against the wall - a way of visually demonstrating power and dominance.

The picture on the right is one that is of great annoyance to me as well. In three words it can be summarized as such: Every man's dream. As a woman in a same-sex relationship, I have lost count of how many times straight men have joked or flat out asked me to have a three-way with them and my girlfriend. The look on this man's face is all too familiar as it is the same look I have received from some straight men when they realize/find out that I am gay.  It's especially obnoxious and I find it degrading that this clothing company would use these models to pretend to fulfill every (straight) man's fantasy of sleeping with two women at once. Not only does it objectify women sexually, it exploits masculinity.

As a member of a campus organization that promotes sexual assault awareness and advocates for prevention and education, this picture is extremely harmful and hurtful. The woman is sandwiched between two strong men as they take advantage of her. The interaction between the woman and the man on the right is one of sexual nature while the man on the left is depicted as violent and almost brutal, as he pulls the woman's hair and head backwards. This picture trivializes the epidemic of violence against women in order to sell..... what? 

And below are some examples of how men are sexually objectified in the media and in advertisements. As I stated before, objectification is not something that only happens to females, unfortunately. Men experience it as well. While the messages are very different when using men as sexual objects compared to women to sell a product, the messages of sex through the use of naked bodies is still dehumanizing. 

 A&F using the naked torso's of men to sell cologne. (Above)


A group of half-naked men are shown as masculine, dominant, strong, fearless, aggressive, and adventurous. Not only does this send messages to men about having a toned physique, it tells men that they need to possess all of these character attributes to be attractive or have friends. This picture looks more like something from a college fraternity hazing (often violent) instead of a clothing magazine.
Lastly, below is a picture of a half-naked man's ....crotch. Above all else, this picture is solely about depicting sex to sell jeans. This is an advertisement that covers the side of a building, with the door being right under the man's penis. Insinuations could be: The bigger the picture, the bigger the man's penis looks - buy these jeans and you too can have a huge dick! OR perhaps the photographers and the advertisers liked how the jeans fit over a half-erect penis. The bulge is noticeably the eye-catcher of the picture and is yet another example of how mens' bodies are used, dehumanized (we don't even see this man's head), and exploited for sexual purposes in order to sell a product.

Masculinity and Racial Minority Stereotypes

As with any culture, there are men who make up various minority groups. These groups often have negative stereotypes - particularly involving masculinity. Common stereotypes of minority men include the following:

Asian Men
-Hypersexual or asexual
-Unattractive
-Good at martial arts
-Fighters
-Skinny
-Businessmen or work in women's professions (nail salons, dry cleaners, etc.)
-Incapable of parenting
-Delicate

Hispanic
-Physically weak
-Greasy and dirty
-Hypersexual ('Latin lover', large families, etc.)
-Gangsters (tattoos, low riders, etc.)
-Live in the ghetto
-Only perform manual labor
-Illegal

Black
-Lazy
-Like being with white women
-Large sex organs
-Good athletes
-Good dancers
-Hypersexual
-Had jail time
-5 D's (dumb, deviant, deprived, dangers and disturbed)

Throughout this project I read numerous articles about male stereotypes among the minorities. Everything from Japanese men who were captured in America during the World War being made to perform housework and sex acts as women did, to hip hop stereotypes of men in India. Because culture is constantly evolving, stereotypes and standards for men are evolving as well. America has its current standard for men to uphold if they wish to be viewed as masculine. What is prevalent in the United States my differ dramatically from the standard in China, Australia or Chile. Understanding masculine stereotypes helps to reconstruct a healthy masculine norm for men of today.

The pictures shown above were taken from a blog that explores racism and social justice: 

http://dante-andthelobster.blogspot.com/2010/11/racism-bad-gender-essentialism-good.html

Machismo in Everyday Life

American media is FULL of machismo images directed toward men. Magazine covers explode with pictures of greasy, spray-tanned men flexing their biceps and ripped abs for the camera. Television commercials try to sell razors by showing a toned man running barefoot through a jungle, performing a few pushups and successfully defeating the (unseen) chasing enemy with a clean shaven face. News stories constantly report of athletes using anabolic steroids. Even advertisements on the internet show a macho man mowing the law or barbecuing. Men see these images every day, multiple times a day. What was once the definition of a superhero now looks like the definition of a skinny class nerd. Below are images I collected around the Ann Arbor area. I view them as the media's attempt to promote machismo in everyday life. The pictures demonstrate the physical definition of masculinity and what it means to be a "real man."

These pictures seem to be the epitomy of masculinity - pinning the "macho" on the MAN. I suppose penis size determines whether or not a man is "macho". Also notice the muscules.

Real men don't get the flu. 

Men's interest.... do they even have a choice?

Boost your testosterone - implying that a lack of testosterone will make you less of a man. Physiologically, this has merit. Women do not have testosterone which makes them women, instead of men. But boosting testosterone does not have the machismo effects this ad implies it does. Increasing testosterone does not also increase masculinity. But this ad implies masculinity can be achieved through high levels of testosterone. In addition, I am sure it is no coincidence that the ad for boosting testosterone (and thus boosting "masculinity") is placed over the man's crotch area.

Male Bonding Through Sexist Jokes

Peter Lyman performed a study where he interviewed members of a college fraternity in attempts to understand how the brothers used jokes as a form of bonding with each other. Lyman describes joking as a special kind of social relationship that allows for social deviance and excuses what would otherwise be inappropriate social behavior between two people. The men in his study used (mostly) sexist jokes to connect with one another in a non-homosexual emotional way. Many "your mamma" jokes or slandering another brother's girlfriend were used as mechanisms of defending masculinity and negotiating aggressive tensions between the two brothers. Most, if not all of the jokes Lyman observed during his study, were ones of crude sexual content and almost always of sexist nature. Men used sexist jokes at women's expense in order to establish masculinity to themselves and their brothers, to establish a non-homosexual yet emotional connection with their brothers and as a way to bond with each other over an undisputed topic. Lyman says, "The jokes were also targeted at homosexuality, to draw an emotional line between the homosocial male bond and the homosexual relationship" (1987).

Sexist jokes, besides being hurtful and degrading, are often men's ways of objectifying women. (Note: Women make sexist jokes, too. But for the purposes of this blog, I am treating sexist jokes as demeaning jokes said by men at the expense of women.) Sexist jokes not only make women out to be sexual vessels that are used to satisfy a man's lust for passion, but they devalue sex itself. These jokes remove a woman's right to enjoy intimacy and instead, replace it with aggressive and often violent sexual crudeness. While I am unsure of how males in foreign countries bond with one another (in a non-homo way), males in America bond by devaluing women in an effort to promote their own masculinity.


Reference: Lyman, P. (1987). The fraternal bond as a joking relationship: a case study of the role of sexist jokes in male group bonding.