Representations of hegemonic masculinity can be seen most prevalently in the media, as it is often emphasised and privileged over other forms of masculinity. Through combining studies of hegemonic masculinity and the representation of masculinity in films, advertising and magazines I will present a discussion on how the media usually conforms to and thus uphold the hegemonic view of masculinity, but also how it can challenge it. The majority of studies tend to focus on the United States or Europe, with a few other case studies on less prominent countries which examine the national hegemonic masculinity in particular. However, there are a limited number of sources which discuss the hegemonic masculinity found in the New Zealand. This study will
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A queer man or a man of colour is immediately disadvantaged due to things that they cannot change about themselves. Thus in order for them to gain power and respect from their peers they must compensate for their ‘shortcomings’ by emphasising the aspects of hegemonic masculinity that they do embody (Lynch, 2009). The nature of hegemonic masculinity is to be almost unattainable, and even harder to maintain, thus it is an act of performativity. While few men actually meet the standards of hegemonic masculinity, it is reinforced through the media we consume.
Hegemonic masculinity in the media
The media is ubiquitous in the Western world today from films, to television shows, to advertising, to magazines, it is almost impossible to avoid being influenced by the messages promoted. As children we are socialised to perform gender by our families, peers and the media. While media representations of gender have come a long way, there is still a clear emphasis on hegemonic masculinity as the ideal for men and emphasised femininity for women. This can be broken down into different mediums to examine representations of masculinities and how this might affect or be interpreted by audiences.
Hegemonic masculinity in
A queer man or a man of colour is immediately disadvantaged due to things that they cannot change about themselves. Thus in order for them to gain power and respect from their peers they must compensate for their ‘shortcomings’ by emphasising the aspects of hegemonic masculinity that they do embody (Lynch, 2009). The nature of hegemonic masculinity is to be almost unattainable, and even harder to maintain, thus it is an act of performativity. While few men actually meet the standards of hegemonic masculinity, it is reinforced through the media we consume.
Hegemonic masculinity in the media
The media is ubiquitous in the Western world today from films, to television shows, to advertising, to magazines, it is almost impossible to avoid being influenced by the messages promoted. As children we are socialised to perform gender by our families, peers and the media. While media representations of gender have come a long way, there is still a clear emphasis on hegemonic masculinity as the ideal for men and emphasised femininity for women. This can be broken down into different mediums to examine representations of masculinities and how this might affect or be interpreted by audiences.
Hegemonic masculinity in