Oozing Hegemonic Masculinity in the Super Bowl Commercials

“In accounts grounded in sex-role theory, such as that by Harris, “masculinity” identifies cultural “norms” and “scripts” which set standards for and thus influence men’s behaviour.” (Flood 205) It is through the process of socialization and interaction that we learn what attitudes, behaviours, norms and scripts make a man ‘manly’ enough to be respected in society. Not every society and time period has the same standards on what it means to be masculine and what traits a man must possess in order to be ‘culturally honoured’ or be considered the ‘ideal’ man by society; therefore, “masculinity is historically contingent on so many factors.” (Spring) In the West, for example, an ‘ideal’ man in society must be able to supress his emotions, be financially/socially stable, be successful, and Caucasian. South Asian countries have other standards set by society of what it means to be masculine.

Masculinity is portrayed as being popular and skilled through the use of all these different players. One of the main characters, Neymar Jr., is one of the youngest players in the world but yet he is also considered the third best player in the world. He is very well known and so are all the other players include. They all portray an amazing amount of talent and skill that is only able to be challenged by the best of the best. Nike focus on the idea that masculinity is being able to go against the best and not feeling

In this paper I will explore the many facets of masculinity and demonstrate how certain beliefs pertaining to it are perpetuated in our society. I will also uncover many of the contradictions between society's assigned definition of

The article begins by saying, “Men aren't obsessed with breasts, beer and ball games, new research claims” (HALF). Typically this describes the norms of manhood. But as it explains, times are changing. “Instead, they like and respect women - and nearly half would like to be one. Forty-six percent of men aged 18 to 35 questioned for a survey said if they could be born again; it would be as a woman” (HALF). It seems as though masculinity, or the idea of, isn’t as appealing as it used to be. The survey claimed men only behaved badly in stereotyped TV shows and advertisements. The publication used the information in a survey taken from Cosmopolitan magazine and states “There is a definite soft side to the 21st-century British male” (HALF).

The definition of masculinity has changed dramatically over the years. In fact in the American society, it used to be defined more as strength,superior than all and any during the 1940’s but that definition has slightly changed. Actually, this idea of a “real man” or manhood is glorified a lot in society with the use of adverts advertisements.

Hegemony masculinity is the ability to have control over both men and women. Hegemony masculinity determines by economic power. Men's self-worn is determined with occupation in hegemony masculinity. The men who are unable to achieve economic success are seen as less of man. Boys are indoctrination in to masculine ideology and are encourage to behave in masculine ways or face social punishment. (Adams & Govender, 2008). The show “Two and a Half Men” is a key examination of hegemony masculinity. The main character Charlie continuous mocking the character Alan for displaying behavior not follows traditional or hegemonic masculinity. Charlie’s ability to accumulate wealth and attractive women show that he is the ideal male. Alan behavior is

The Brony fandom exposes some gaps that traditional understandings of masculinity cannot take into account. Connell and Messerschmidt establish through hegemonic masculinity the development of hierarchy within the constructs of gender formations. Their framework provides the negotiations regarding the desirable masculine traits for a given society, thereby creating representations of a dominant gender construct. However, it is not the sole creator of masculine identity. “The concept of hegemonic masculinity is not intended as a catchall nor as a prime cause; it is a means of grasping a certain dynamic within the social process.” Those attributes associated with traditional forms of masculinity only become powerful through negotiation and positioning against other forms of masculinity through context, but how can hegemonic masculinity rationalize masculine identities that do not place similar emphasis on those attributes?

Hegemonic masculinity is a social construction which suggests to society that men must be stronger than the feminine of the species in every way. By definition, hegemonic masculinity is the dominance of men over women, where men must sustain this dominance in any way. Defining what the hegemonic masculine ideal is in Canada is difficult as we are a very young, multicultural country, so the notion of the ideal man is a warped characterization of the ideal American male. This paper seeks to prove that hegemonic masculinity is a social construction which is detrimental to society. The negative effects of hegemonic masculinity on men include; male violence, misogyny, and homophobia which are inextricably linked to how we define manhood as a culture.

Moreover, hegemony as a concept does not imply that it functions through force nor violence, however, these two characteristics are very common associations with hegemony through the subordination and oppression of the ‘other’ (Connell, 2002). Connell (2005) took up Gramsci’s concept of hegemony and applied it to masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity underlines the legitimisation of patriarchy in current societies, because hegemonic masculinity is not only on top of the hierarchical order of masculinities, but also of the gender order. This then indicates that patriarchy, which refers to the subordination of women by men and that hegemonic men define/have defined norms and values of their current society on the micro-level and macro-level (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2004), is still considered as driving force in current societies. Accordingly, hegemonic masculinity implies that certain stereotypical masculine characteristics are set has dominated norm, however, the concept itself is rather dynamic and can through this change over time and is not static (Connell, 2005). Examples for hegemonic characteristics are physical ability and strength, power and authority, heterosexuality, possession of economic resources, ‘whiteness’, and so forth.

Michael Messner and Jeffrey Montez de Oca explain that contemporary beer ads represent a desirable male lifestyle to reaffirm masculinity in a time when men are insecure. Their essay, “The Male Consumer as a Loser: Beer and Liquor Ads in Mega Sports Media

Hegemonic masculinity is at the heart of exploitation of women in advertisements. It represents a complex socio-political system that perpetuates dominant ideas from the male perspective and marginalizes any opposing ones, especially the feminist perspective. (O'Toole, 2016) The concept of the “male gaze” is at the root of hegemonic masculinity and consumerism. For example, Sports Illustrated uses a swimsuit issue to attract a largely male audience. These exploited images present women in sexualized and demeaning poses since images in the media are constructed for the male viewer's gaze and represent his expectations of women as well as male to female relationships. This manipulation allows women to be conditioned to respond to an ad in a male-directed

‘True’ masculinity follows a rulebook that explains appropriate male behaviour, especially in contemporary media. Craig (1992) states that the media does not give permission for ‘alternative interpretations of reality’. The beer industry relies on white males to interpret the reality that they wish the public to see. The stereotype of the ‘man’s man’ is utilized to attract a mainstream, predominantly male target audience. Alternative social types – sensitive men, homosexual men, and househusbands – are excluded from these premises. Beer advertisements are thus said to be a ‘manual on masculinity’ (Craig, 1992, p78). Men are often portrayed in a group drinking beer, never alone: they are part of a membership. To become a part of that community,

Advertisements are dominant facets in societies globally; consequently, millions of individuals subconsciously consume the messages of corporations, which further allow them to construct aspects of their culture. Represented within these advertisements are often messages or ideologies, which exist independent of the product it is advertising. The beer brand, Primus, is no exception. The recent ad campaign for Primus encourages a masculinist ideology through images of male independence and misogyny. This essay will examine two distinct readings of this ad and how each can be seen to promote a masculinist ideology.

Today the media has a way of defining masculinity and femininity through advertisements. Different advertisements have different ways of defining masculinity and femininity. In an Emporio Armani Diamonds Fragrance advertisement, it advertises vivid visual elements to convey the idea that masculinity means being, desirable, handsome, over-confident, powerful and extremely wealthy. The definition of the Emporio Diamond add is achieved through the uses of stunning models, facial expressions, body language and the setting.

Bordo claim that “the most compelling images are suffused with ‘subjectivity’” (Bordo, 2006:186) and the cover of the August 2015 issue of Men’s Health is no exception. The central photographic image of the Men’s Health magazine features a shirtless, Caucasian man, from just below the waist up. The male has well-defined lean abs, huge arms and broad shoulder, and is doing nothing other than posing for the viewer. According to Alexander, Men’s Health covers reveal a distinct pattern of reflecting “a homogenous “future self” to a very specific group of men (Alexander, 2003:541). The cover image, at least for white males, presents masculinity as a “well-toned but not overly muscled body” (Alexander, 2003:542). Foremost, it constructs masculinity