The image of women in the media has been prominent in controversial discussion and social conflict theories for decades. While a worthy issue to speculate, we've been distracted from analyzing the male image. Has anyone ever stopped to think, how did men get to where we are now?
The virtues that [straight] men admire in other men have become qualities that confound most common sense. Alpha men today aren’t like they used to be. Iconic male figures in history like James Dean or John Wayne were celebrated for their charisma, confidence and chivalry. Their presence in society wasn’t because of their physical size, misogyny, or aggression, as we see today. Through the years, we can see a visible difference from the men we used to respect to the men held revered today. You can expect the "bro-tastic" "alpha male" of today to be cocky, arrogant, presumptuous, intolerant, and unbelievably muscular. Other than exasperation, this might be posing a real problem. Afterall, men commit 90% of violence and research shows we’re getting more violent. Even CNN chimed in saying the concept of a "quality man" is obsolete.
Men have undergone shocking reformation in the media through the years. Today, masculinity is associated with how much alcohol you can endure without vomiting, how freakishly huge their biceps are, or the turnover rate in their bedroom. He's expected to know flippant details over a few domestic beers, which he will always drink with his "bros." Men today love their bros, and religiously oblige to the latest puzzling concept of "bro-code." Ugh, barf. Also, the physique of admired men apparently caught elephantitis and has swollen to masses beyond pleasing. Notice the changing bodies from Marlon Brando, John Wayne, James Dean, to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 80s and 90s.
In the video “Tough Guise,” Jackson Katz explores the impact that overly-masculinized images have on society and culture. His insight is directly related to the cultivation theory, that suggests mass-produced images and messages are responsible for shaping the perception of our reality, ultimately “cultivating” our culture as a whole from media. Boys will turn out like the men they watch in movies, and those that don’t can expect backbreaking harassment and vicious words like bitch, fag, pussy. We are immersed with this ideal through media. It’s not just in a few places like video games and movies, but it’s literally what passes as a social norm. Katz also drew interesting connections between the construction of hyper-masculinity and politics, sports, consumerism and the marginalization of women.
This image of the alpha male is not an accident. It’s sourced and controlled by white, heterosexual males that do control this message and can leverage it to their benefit. Theoretically, one could postulate how these images encourage military advocacy. One could argue that men conditioned to think brute violence is the route to respect would find more hope in the military. Either way, with media reinforcing apathetic, mindless, aggressive behavior is implementing an ideal that isn’t realistic, and conjointly putting restrictions on an individual’s growth, behavior and attitude.
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