Scholorly Journal Article #2

“A Typology of Men’s Conceptualizations of Ideal Masculinity in Advertising” was written by Linda Tuncay Zayer in the Advertising & Society Review Volume 11, Issue 1, 2010. It is about how different types of men perceive the ideal masculinity as portrayed in advertising.

In the field of advertising, large focus has been placed on the female image in advertising. Most research deals with femininity and the way it is portrayed. Traditionally advertisers have tried to appeal to the male consumer by trying to show ideal images of masculinity even though there has been little researcher to support what men view as ideal. The typology still being used today was developed 30 years ago and does not reflect upon today’s males and was developed through the researcher and not the consumer.

There are 8 different types of masculinity in advertising that emerge. They are “the Adventurer, the Athlete, the Attractive Man, the Daredevil, the Family Man, the Goal-Driven Man, the Individual, and the Strong Man.” On the other hand there are 3 types that are the opposite of masculinity and they are “the Player, the Partier, and the Slob.”

The attractive man ideal actually has a negative connotation much in the same way as beauty ideals in advertising are negative to women. The family man is viewed as much more ideal and is a better image to be portrayed to society as a whole. “In addition, depictions such as the Player and the Partier may turn some consumers off through what is perceived as a negative message about how men should behave. Thus, advertisers must tread cautiously if they decide to reiterate such messages in society.”

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/advertising_and_society_review/v011/11.1.zayer.html