Representations of men; NEW REVISION

Representations of men 

Question - Explore the ways in men is represented in the media today?

In this essay I will be writing about how the media represents men, both positively and negatively. Media juxtaposes itself when it chooses to represent gender. Men can either be shown to be the handsome and dashing lothario at one end of the spectrum then an almost pathetic loner at the opposing end.  

A major portrayal of men in the media is the 'player/womaniser' character type. An example of this archetype being incorporated into advertising is the Lynx deodorant advertisements. The men, usually portrayed by a young and handsome actor, uses his looks to win the beautiful female alongside his smell. This view conveys the masculinity of men, that same masculine quality being the thing that basically wins him his prize of the woman. Another example of this is the Witcher game franchise. The lead protagonist, Geralt, is capable of bedding many women during the gameplay. He does this through his good looks and heroic nature. This reflexive approach, that what we see is a straightforward reflection of the real world, transmits the message that all men in reality are as heroic as we see them in various media texts. This portrayal further cements that the brave and handsome male hero we have been groomed to think is the norm. This is very much a distorted view being groomed into young boys, making them have this askew self-image of themselves to the point they deem themselves unworthy.  

Another representation of men in the media is through archetypes. These are seen throughout many platforms; video games, TV shows and feature films are a few examples. A solid example is the Jock character trope, seen in many romantic comedies and they usually serve as some sort of antagonist. The popular Jock is handsome and athletic who gets all the pretty girls, despite usually having a poor and selfish personality. This character type further pushes this heightened hyper-masculinity onto us as an audience. When compared to the weedy and unlucky Geek character, who is socially deprived and often picked upon, the Jock is the desired one. This media representation favours physical superiority over brains. This again allows audiences to developed awry views on masculinity due how the media represents it as.   

Men are also portrayed as being successful, E.g. the 'Big Shot' character. An example of this being Gordon Gekko in  the eighties film Wall Street portrayed by Michael Douglas. This character type is represented as exerting charisma and success and being in control of his environment and the people around him. Men here are portrayed as being dominating and intelligent. These overall characterisations show that men have to be intelligent, domineering and handsome amongst traits to be deemed desirable. The media thus goes on to make the image that a 'perfect' male has to be dominant, to the point that he is basically aggressive, rich and handsome to be desirable.

In conclusion, the ideologies of gender put forward by the media can be very one-sided and even sexist. Gender is very misinterpreted and this can be dangerous as audiences are very open to what they see. We as an audience are easily influenced as if we see the same imagery repeated before us it makes a lasting impression in our minds. With this heightened masculinity that is being wrongly shown to be the norm, the line between achievable and fantasy are becoming more blurred.