The iconic Marlboro Man represents an ideal of masculinity, toughness, strength. He is ever stoic. Tall, dark, handsome, and the silent-type, he is a being other men imitate, and the man many women describe as desirable. In Paula Cole’s 1997 hit song, she desperately asks, “Where have all the cowboys gone” (Cole). The man she believed was a cowboy is not one; he is based on an erroneous belief. Gretel Erlich seeks the cowboys in “About Men.” Her looking for Marlboro ads on the subway while missing Wyoming (Erlich 82) is not a longing for this Madison Avenue creation for selling cigarettes. She yearns for the company of her friends, the real cowboys she has ridden with for eight years (Erlich 82). Our Marlboro man, while physically appealing,
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There is no time clock. The nature of their work is not a project allowing them to reach a certain level completion, hitting save on a computer, and continue the next day. Erlich explains, “If he rides away into the sunset” it’s because he’s been on horseback since four in the morning moving cattle and he’s trying, fifteen hours later, to get home to his family” (Erlich 82), if he has the good fortune to have one. Though they may spend long times in isolation, they are a team (Erlich 83). Erlich dismisses society’s misconception of “the macho, trigger-happy man” (Erlich 83). Macho men display their masculinity so aggressively that they unwittingly create a caricature of the manliness they exhibit. There is a hint of insecurity in their behavior. They are demanding that others acknowledge their machismo. Erlich’s cowboy “is more apt to be convivial, quirky, and softhearted” (Erlich 83). He is a tough but not macho. His lifestyle demands this toughness for his existence. Theirs is not a life that can be lived by the average man who is accustomed to luxury. “In other words, this macho, cultural artifact the cowboy has become is simply a man who possesses resilience, patience, and an instinct for survival” (Erlich 83). As an old timer tells her, “Their job is “just to take it” (Erlich
There is no time clock. The nature of their work is not a project allowing them to reach a certain level completion, hitting save on a computer, and continue the next day. Erlich explains, “If he rides away into the sunset” it’s because he’s been on horseback since four in the morning moving cattle and he’s trying, fifteen hours later, to get home to his family” (Erlich 82), if he has the good fortune to have one. Though they may spend long times in isolation, they are a team (Erlich 83). Erlich dismisses society’s misconception of “the macho, trigger-happy man” (Erlich 83). Macho men display their masculinity so aggressively that they unwittingly create a caricature of the manliness they exhibit. There is a hint of insecurity in their behavior. They are demanding that others acknowledge their machismo. Erlich’s cowboy “is more apt to be convivial, quirky, and softhearted” (Erlich 83). He is a tough but not macho. His lifestyle demands this toughness for his existence. Theirs is not a life that can be lived by the average man who is accustomed to luxury. “In other words, this macho, cultural artifact the cowboy has become is simply a man who possesses resilience, patience, and an instinct for survival” (Erlich 83). As an old timer tells her, “Their job is “just to take it” (Erlich