Men's Health - Representation

Representation in Men's Health: an academic analysis

‘The Representations Of Men Depicted In Men’s Health Magazine’ is an academic journal article by María del Mar Rubio-Hernández of the University of Sevilla. 

It focuses on the American edition of the magazine but its findings also apply to the UK and other international editions. 

Rubio-Hernández makes several key points in her analysis:

• Advertising and consumerism is critical to masculine identity. The products advertised in Men’s Health say a huge amount about the representation of men – “men as consumers”.
• Masculinity is not fixed or natural but socially constructed and “subject to constant change”. It discusses the idea of the “metrosexual” male comfortable with grooming products, fashion and appearance.
• The magazine focuses on the male body and suggests it is one of the few aspects of masculinity still under men’s control. However, it does say that the representation of the male bodies featured in the magazine is largely fixed: “…young, muscular, healthy, sporty, successful, virile…”

Read these extracts from the journal article exploring the representation of masculinity in Men's Health magazine and answer the following questions:

1) Why is Men's Health defined as a 'lifestyle magazine'?

The Men's Health magazine is defined as a lifestyle magazine because it covers a range of different topics to do with the lifestyle of a man regarding health, fitness, food, fashion etc. 

2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?

"Advertisements perform as the perfect complement for the philosophy proposed by the magazine; while men are encouraged to work in private, they are expected to show the results of the time and money invested in their appearance in public. In Stevenson, Jackson and Brooks’ words, “men are encouraged to ‘work the body’ (in private) in order to be able to succeed in the (public) world of relationships and work” (2001: 96). Therefore, the acquisition of certain products such as cologne, jeans or cars, helps them to improve and stress their anatomy –as the embodiment of their commitment to health and fitness– by adding status, sophistication and style. This aspect highlights the importance of the consumption culture in shaping the representations of
masculinity portrayed in magazines." Audiences see themselves through the media and models used as a representation of people, advertising is deemed significant to shape the masculine identity as it can perpetuate certain identities. Companies also advertise certain products based on their audeinces demographics to ensure relatability and relevance. 

3) The article suggests that the representation of masculinity in Men's Health is not fixed or natural and is subject to constant change. What media theorists that we have studied previously can be linked to these ideas?

-David Gauntlett - Masculinity in crisis
-Male gaze

David Gauntlett's theory suggests that masculinity is not in crisis, but it is in a state of reinvention. Contemporary ideas about masculinity appear to encourage males to branch out into field or aspects of life that they typically hadn't considered. This is reflected in Men's Health through the different luxe editions of the magazine. The fact they have seperate magazines dedicated to particular topics such as fashion and sportswear, emphasises that there is a shift in the way that masculinity is being viewed, and men can now take more pride in traditionally feminine things (i.e. their appearance etc).

Mulvey's theory of the male gaze cannot be applied to the magazine as much. This is because this magazine focuses mainly on the appearance of men and how men are looked upon rather than objectifying females and exploiting their bodies for reaction. Throughout the magazine, there is a focus on the male body, i.e the image of the ideal physique and appearing toned, muscular and "in shape." This not only degrades males by diminishing them to their physical features, but it also encourages readers in general to view males in a more objectified way and pay attention to their exterior/appearance more - causes them to have preconceived notions about males. This could be linked to the theory of the 'female gaze' and how women may look at men in an objectified manner due to their portryal in the Men's Health magazine. 

4) What does the article suggest Men's Health encourages its readers to be? What examples and statistics are provided to develop the idea of men as consumers?

The article suggests that Men's Health encourages men to be active consumers. Men's Health encourage this as they recognise that this particular demographic is quite a profitable target. For example, the global market for male grooming grew by 5.7% between 1997-2005, which shows that males are taking on a different role and are caring about new lifestyle aspects such as grooming and their personal appearance.

5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?

Men's Health promote a typically traditional masculine body type throughout their productions - big, toned, strong, muscular. Even though they bring some light to those who do not typically conform to this hegemonic masculine body type (story coverage on Marathon Man for example) they still mainly use 'masculine' looking men as their cover images and for their promotions. By highlighting and constantly referring to this body type and these particular images, Men's Health cause readers to feel inadequate with their own body type, and as a result, this may make them more insecure and less confident in their own skin.

6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?

In regards of the objectification of men the article suggests that as a result of males becoming more involved in the consumption of different products and the media, they have been increasingly objectified, much like women have been in the media for several years. The article also implies that publications such as Men's Health are increasingly exploiting the bodies of men which has resulted in them being viewed as an "erotic spectacle" as well as targets of advertising. 

7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?

Metrosexuality is a term referring to the idea that men are becoming more aware of their physical appearance and are increasingly becoming devoted to buying cosmetic and fashion products to enhance appearance. The idea of metrosexuality can be applied to Men's Health as the magazine typically have promotions and advertisement for appearance related products which would make a reader feel more inclined to buying products the more they see them - men are beginning to acknowledge their appearance more and magazine's like Men's Health are exploiting this fact.

8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?

This section of the article highlights the fact that the men portrayed in Men's Health are typically representative of the conventional heterosexual male. Men's Health typically [portray these men in order to reinforce the gender rhetoric, as well as dominant ideologies of masculinity in terms of physical aspects. By reflecting these dominant ideologies, Men's Health encourage the audience to make links between the idea of traditional/conventional masculinity and power, strength and youth.

9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?

Men's Health does reinforce a more traditional view on masculinity as well as promoting certain ideologies that are conventional of men's lifestyle magazines. It does also show a clear focus on the importance of remaining in shape, being health, and embracing the idea of fitness rather than shying away from it. The Men's Health publication encourages men to care about their bodies on an internal level - by eating clean etc - as well as on an external level (i.e. looking good, having a muscular, toned physique).

10) What is your own view of the representation of masculinity in Men's Health? Is it a positive representation that encourages men to the best they can be or is it a hypermasculine, consumer-driven representation designed to undermine men's confidence and objectify their bodies?

In my opinion, on the whole Men's Health magazine reinforces very traditional representations of masculinity which highlights the idea that men need to be a particular way (toned, strong - both mentally and physically, muscular, healthy) in order to be considered masculine. They also reinforce a particular appearance and physique which is considered 'masculine' - this may have both a positive and negative effect, it may create aspiration and drive with in readers or it can leave them feeling inadequate about themselves and their own body. I wouldn't completely draw out the idea that Men's Health encourages men to be the best that they can be because I believe that Men's Health does promote this to an extent - they focus on healthy living and healthy lifestyle as well as gaining a specific physique which shows the numerous ways in which Men's Health provide guidance for their readers to help them become the best possible version of themselves. However on the other hand it can be argued that Men's Health is a hypermasculine,  consumer-driver representation designed to undermine men's confidence and objectify their bodies as MH provide a particular image of what is 'correct', 'healthy' and essentially 'masculine' to their readers - not all men conform to their general image and it may cause the feeling of inadequacy or not being masculine enough.