Masculinity is also represented in the media in terms of physical aggression, toughness, competitiveness, and domination as portrayed in ads and stories in men’s magazines:
Are magazines for young men likely to reinforce stereotypical, ‘macho’ and sexist attitudes in their readers?
Are contemporary men's magazines a progressive force in society?

These practices, as with representations of femininity, are culturally bound. They evolved out of the rise of the middle-class in the late 1700s and early 1800s in which their was a separation of work and “home” as distinct gendered realms (Nixon, 1997). Men began to become active in men’s clubs, as well as religious organizations, service constituted in terms of a discourse of moral commitment to service. And, with the rise of a business or industrial economy, men devoted more time to their work outside of the home, creating a division previously noted in which men constructed their identities around work and women, around the home. Men also began to adopt more austere, “non-feminine” dress. Lace, which was associated with masculinity in the 1500s and 1600s, was now considered to be a marker of femininity.

More recent representations of masculinity emphasize the fixed nature of male identities in which complexity, doubt, or alternative identities is portrayed as a negative:
Role models for men [ interview ]

This is most evident in cross-gender/dressing films such as Some Like it Hot, Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, and others, which not only represent females in limited ways, but also assume that adopting a feminine role is a violation of one’s basic, traditional male role. For example, in the trailer for Sorority Boys, the characters, pretending to be members of a sorority, are shown as ultimately failing to adopt feminine roles given their innate masculinity.

Another aspect of the representation of masculinity is how it is associated with physical violence as an expression of “male outrage.” The video Tough Guise explores representations of violence as constituted by the need to assert one’s masculine identity through bullying or violence against women when challenged by others or the system.

Students could also analyze portrayals of male violence in advertisements.

Students could also analyze portrayals of male violence in advertisements (go to “media violence” on the following site: Media Awareness)

Media representations of masculinity could also be discussed in terms of violence to women. For a discussion of how these representations influence perceptions of rape, see:
Rapping, E. (2000). The Politics of Representation:
Genre, Gender Violence and Justice. Genders, 32.

Module 5: Word document

What are Media Representations?

Why Study Media Representations?

Studying Media Representations

Methods for Analyzing Media Representations

Representation and Censorship

Representations and Public Relations / Promotions

Studying Representations of Social Types or Groups

Representations of Femininity

Masculinity

Masculinity and Sports

Gays / Lesbians

Racial and Ethnic Groups

Class

Representations of Different Age Groups or Occupations

Occupations

Institutions

Instructional Activity

References

Teaching Activities