Because males were typically depicted as participating in some sort of action, men viewing advertisements most likely saw the action as superior to the men's looks, suggesting pressure to excel at professions, sports, or family life, instead of pressure to perfect their bodies.
In advertisements featuring men today, however, it is clear that men are being used solely for their looks. There is no clearer testimony to this than the following billboard advertisement for clothing brand Abercrombie and Fitch ("Billboards Archives"):
On this billboard, the male model displays his chest and has his hands positioned in an almost sexual posture suggesting that his body is otherwise perfected. The fact that his head is cut out of the picture leaves no room for argument as to whether or not this is an advertisement that uses the make model to suggest beauty or physical aesthetics alone. Clearly, the model is featured in order to encourage consumers to buy Abercrombie and Fitch Brand clothes, suggesting that it is the clothes that can make a person as attractive as this model. Another Abercrombie and Fitch advertisement contains a similar implication ("Abercrombie Ad"):
In this photograph, the men are depicted in an action, but it is clearly an action that accents their physical qualities -- strength, well toned chest muscles, strong arms, and proportioned posteriors. Thus, both of these advertisements suggest a trend change in advertising. Now, it is not just women, but also men who are being viewed as objects of erotic gaze. Their bodies are being used to sell products, just like women's have been for years.
Because of this trend switch, it is clear that many men have been or will begin to feel some of the pressure that women have traditionally felt considering their bodies. As these...
Where women have long been pressured to be thin, men will be pressured to be strong, and have that strength marked apparently on their bodies. In addition, the male models depicted in these advertisements were large in terms of body types, while they were muscular instead of fat. Men who are thinner, shorter, and less brawny then these men may start to face some pressure from others. In the past, women have faced this type of pressure so abundantly that they have taken drastic measures such as eating nothing, eating too little, or purging. Men may start to take the same drastic measures, such as using steroids. Society may even see surgery develop to make men appear more muscular, just as surgery for women who think they are overweight has been developed.
Thus, just as women have largely been viewed based on their body types and beauty, society has begun to accept men as objects of erotic gaze. Men are being featured in more and more advertisements simply as objects of beauty or brawn. Because of this, men are likely to begin experiencing more and more pressure in regards to their bodies, just as women experience pressure to be thin and beautiful. In light of this cross-generational struggle, it is now the time to raise awareness of these issues for advertisers and the general public, reminding men and women alike that there is more to their life than their bodies.
Works Cited
"Abercrombie Ad." Interesting Ads. 7 May 2007. Xanga. 20 April 2009.
"Billboards Archives." Racked: New York. 27 Dec. 2007. 20 April 2009.
Nivea. Brand Science Institute. 11 November 2008. 20 April 2009.
