Representation of Male

Body Image in the Media

How the Media has affected male self-image
● The Media is claimed to have a big impact on how an audience will view themselves.

● Active audience would sit and absorb the images that they see advertised to them in society and take
action to change their own bodies to suit the culture ideals.

● This could lead men to take serious actions to actively change their bodies to suit the culture norms.

Self perception of their own shape and attractiveness is mediated by

the degree to which they have absorbed the surrounding cultures
ideas.
[Cusumano and Thompson cited in Wykes and Gunter (2005, p.159]
Leading to men feeling emasculated
● Media messages reinforce that the ‘perfect’ man has a mesomorphic body shape. When the cultural ideal is
to be like this, anything other could lead men to feel under appreciated and therefore in need of change.

● Feminists could argue that men are now more reinforced than ever to gain muscle, since at the slow decline
of the patriarchy. Men feel in need to gain power in some other sort of way, through their appearance.

It has been suggested that men seek to embrace physical strength,

hardness and power to reinforce the traditional masculine ideal -
and distinguish itself from femininity.
[Wykes and Gunter (2005, p.5]
Hollywood’s role
➔ Hollywood also helps to reinforce the ‘ideal’ male image, this is reinforced with the increased of more
muscular men in films, games and TV shows.

The ‘fat’ character in films can be found as being teased by the other characters or by the audience. This not
only reinforces that this body type is negative ut also leads to an audience to think that they are imperfect in
their looks and in need of changing.

➔ Mens body types have changed in Hollywood, from more of a natural looking body to a body with increased
girth in a time of less physical labour, which reinforces the masculine ideals of having strength.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAOPWIJt2k
● The Tarzan Movie with Alexander Skarsgard is the latest example of
Hollywood's new look ideal man.
● Men were all about education ,creativity and social change. Now the
image of the perfect male is all about being lean and extremely
defined.

Masculine stereotypical characteristics such as ‘active’, daring\,

and ‘a fighter’ to mesomorphic boys. Extreme muscularity is not
culturally acceptable.
[Mishkind and Colleagues, 1986]
Media can also lead to anorexia
● The Media doesn't only reinforce that men have to muscular, but also the images of thinness
for men is extreme.

● Anorexia was predicted by greater reported frequency of reading fitness magazines and by
attraction to thin media personalities.

Men tend to perceive themselves as underweight

and as thinner than they actually are.
[Harmats et al, Miller et al, Mintz and Betz cited in Wykes and Gunter (2005]
Appearance comparison in social media
● Social media occupies more and more space in our daily life making a major impact on our way of living.

● Not only Women but Men’s too are constantly exposed through advertisements and other media with
images of the idealized versions of perfect physical attractiveness . Obligating to compare themselves and
compete with the other`s.

● For men, the current ideal male body is lean but highly muscular and to conquer their body goal they use an
idealized individual as a target.

Baker, A., Elnakouri, A., & Blanchard, C. (2019). The Protective Role of Autonomous Motivation Against the Effects of the “Muscular Ideal” on Men’s
Self-Objectification, Appearance Schema Activation, and Cognitive Performance. Media Psychology, 22(3), 473–500.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1412322
 Appearance comparison in social media
● Social sites like (Instagram ,Facebook, Snapchat) are saturated with body image content making Men's
compare their own appearance to the highly attractive models who pervade the media causing most of the
times body dissatisfaction with their muscularity.

● Comparison targets may also include online peers as well as media models or celebrities but not every
comparison targets are only virtually but also can be selected from the everyday life, like friends, or family
members or in social events, like party's, or school.

Ji Won KimT. MakanaChock (2015). Body image 2.0: Associations between social grooming on Facebook and body image concerns. Computers in Human Behavior Volume 48
Pages 331-33. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215000217?via%3Dihub#b0090
 ● Media sources tend to poor body image that is
Appearance associated with several of negative behavior`s
outcomes, including
comparison in ● Poor psychological health,
social media ● Disordered eating,
● Use of anabolic steroids.

Köse, Ö. B., & Doğan, A. (2019). The Relationship between Social Media Addiction and Self-Esteem among Turkish University Students.
Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 6(1), 175–190. https://doi.org/10.15805/addicta.2019.6.1.0036
Body Batman G.I. Joe Hulk Spiderman Superman
part

Original Current Original Current Original Current Original Current Original Current

Neck 46.7 61.2 39.1 87.1 46.7 77.6 47.8 48.4 44.3 68.9

Chest 103.9 170.8 104.4 213.9 148.2 205.9 104.9 146.9 113.7 156.3

Arm 40.1 61.2 32.1 85.6 61.2 94.5 38.5 45.5 41.4 62.5

Forearm 33.7 58.3 26.2 64.9 54.2 88.1 30.3 37.3 33.8 54.9

Waist 83.9 95.4 76.9 166.4 97.9 116.1 88.7 82.2 85.7 108.7

Thigh 53.8 81.4 46.7 96.7 68.8 105.6 47.8 72.3 55.9 80.8

Calf 41.9 69.8 32.2 98.3 63.6 99.2 43.1 53.1 44.9 66.8

Chest- 1.24 1.79 1.36 1.29 1.51 1.77 1.18 1.79 1.33 1.44
to-waist
ratio

‘Our findings support previous empirical research indicating that

current action figures are disproportionately lean and muscular
compared with those produced 25 years ago’ ( Pope et al., 1999,
cited by Baghurst, T.)
 From the table we can see that over the years very
popular children’s toys have changed in shape and
size making them appear more muscular. The
article states that ‘the increase in action figure
dimensions may contribute to the multifactorial
development of an idealized body type that focuses
on a lean, muscular physique. This occurrence may
particularly influence the perceptions of
preadolescent males’ Even though there is no proof
that a child’s action figure has negative effects, it is
definitely worrying that from a very young age an
unrealistic body type is implemented into a child’s
upbringing in the form of a character that they
idolise and that the increase in their physique
showing the increase of the social standards of
how modern day men are supposed to look
according to the media.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/1182236
4/Are-action-figures-giving-boys-body-image-anxie
ty.html
https://www.statista.com/statistics/198722/int
ernational-revenue-of-mattel-by-region/
References
● Köse, Ö. B., & Doğan, A. (2019). The Relationship between Social Media Addiction and Self-Esteem among Turkish
University Students. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 6(1), 175–190.
https://doi.org/10.15805/addicta.2019.6.1.0036

● Carey, R. N., Donaghue, N., & Broderick, P. (2014). Body image concern among Australian adolescent girls: The role of
body comparisons with models and peers. Body Image, 11(1), 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.09.006

● Ji Won KimT. MakanaChock (2015). Body image 2.0: Associations between social grooming on Facebook and body image
concerns. Computers in Human Behavior Volume 48 Pages 331-33.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215000217?via%3Dihub#b0090

● Wykes, M. and Gunter, B. (2005). The Media and Body Image. London: Sage.
● Rogan, S. (1999). Body Image. USA and Canada: Routledge.

Baghurst, T. Hollander, D. B., Nardella, B., Haff, G, G. (2006). Change in sociocultural ideal male physique: An
examination of past and present action figures. United States. Retrieved from:
● https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1740144505001026?token=0938FD45190BED09983FE537F4F06F5B109B0048
C68A003F5B139AB4DA2F784F41E4AA9CF426880FA9E878A579119DAA