With reference to your own examples, explore the different representations of

men in the media today. (30)

In studying men in media we are in fact studying gender which is the cultural
and social codes and conventions which are associated with either sex. Gender
is a product of society not nature. It is how we are brought up and it is the
influences of family, friends and the media that create our gender.

The media re-presents or constructs meanings about the world we live in. Every
media text we consume has been mediated and they are artificial versions of the
reality around us.

Stereotypes are closely bound with issues of representation. Stereotype means

the continuous repetition of ideas about groups of people in places in the media.
Stereotyping in a necessary part of communicating to a mass audience as it is a
type of “short-hand” that allows the audience to understand characters as
quickly as possible.

The idea that men are forced to conform to a certain role in society is
demonstrated in Full Metal Jacket where individuals are turned into US Marines
- macho, insensitive killing-machines so that they can fight in the war in
Vietnam. The tragic consequences of trying to force people into what they are
not is demonstrated when Private Pyle ironically becomes the perfect killing
machine and kills Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and then himself.

The representation of male gender falls into several main categories: the
reluctant action hero such as Bruce Willis in the Die Hard films –or the
character of Maximus in Gladiator who is forced to seek revenge for the brutal
murder of his family. There is also the adventurer hero actively seeking
adventure such as Indiana Jones or Captain Jack Sparrow in the film
franchise. There are the representations of “macho man” an adrenaline
pumping, no-nonsense male such as Chuck Norris. The popularity of Norris is
evidenced by the numerous websites devoted to him with jokes such as
“Some people wear Superman pyjamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris
pyjamas”.

Gene Hunt in Life on Mars is a British version. He has become something of a

cult figure, with both Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, in which
there is no Sam Tyler, proving successful. One wonders if his no-nonsense
approach, his narrow-minded racism, sexism and penchant for violence, his total
blindness to political correctness, has provided a refreshing alternative for
many male viewers to the sensitive, “feminised” male who has become so
familiar in the media today. In this sense he is almost a retributive male
(Rutherford).

In contrast there is the “liberal” sensitive “new man”, politically correct, seeing
women as equals, staying at home to care for the children and taking over the
domestic role traditionally reserved for females such as cooking and cleaning.
An example of this man would be Maurice in Secrets and Lies. Maurice is seen
as the person who every one relies on. He is caring and sensitive and tries to
make people feel relaxed and cheerful, for example his customers at the
photographic studio. He is a caring and sensitive husband – nursing his wife
when she is doubled-up in pain with period cramps. Although cooking a
barbeque is a “male” tradition he is also serves the food and brings in the
birthday cake to Roxanne which is a domestic role

By contrast is the “lad”. His characteristics are being politically incorrect, lager-
swilling and constantly on the look-out for “birds”. Gary and Tony in “Men
Behaving Badly” are examples of laddishness. The WKD advert shows the
typical lads, drinking beer and having a laugh with their mates or as couch
potatoes, watching television while the women cook and clean his car.

A variant on the lad is the bad-boy, a player who lives life to the max even at
the expense of life and liberty – Pete Doherty’s exploits in the media especially
in newspapers is an example of this where a man and be famous for being
famous or rather infamous to such an extent that it is hard to remember what
they were famous for in the first place.

Another male representation is the “chap” – people who are suave and
sophisticated and take pride in their appearance. Their jobs are never really
explained but they seem to have money – either their own or borrowed with no
intention of ever paying it back. Chaps are represented as vain and womanising
and can be described as “players”. There is also an element of comedy about
them too. An example of a chap would be the iconic image of Terry Thomas
with his cheeky seductive gap-toothed smile whilst sporting a Mayfair cigarette
in the Ealing Comedy films or the suave, sophisticated womanising Frenchman in
the Stella Artois advert.

Men have always been shown to be professionals such as Surgeons in

Casualty or lawyers The Practice . The coverage of professional sports is a
prime example of this as the majority of sports programmes concentrate on
males rather than female’s playing sport. Sports programmes represent men as
physically strong, skilful and competitive.

Lawyers and doctors feature heavily reflecting real life or perhaps reinforcing
values that this is how it should be what is referred to as the dominant ideology
that men are better suited to such jobs.
All the major political parties in the general election had men running for Prime
Minister. When they appeared on the three TV debates all wore the uniform of
the professional: suits and ties, Cameron and Clegg almost looking like cloned
and interchangeable.

Linked to this are the authority figures –men as quiz show hosts Jeremy Paxman
hosts University Challenge and John Humphries BBC2’s prestigious general
knowledge show Mastermind, Chris Tarrant on Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire on Prime Time TV and Jeff Stelling on Countdown while Carol
Vorderman – an excellent mathematician who studied at Cambridge University
was relegated to that of assistant or “side-kick”. It may be argued that Anne
Robinson was successful in breaking the mould on The Weakest Link but her
popularity was based upon her having male attributes (qualities) of toughness
and sarcasm

The inept “bungler” is embodied in Homer Simpson. Homer is the

embodiment of all things bungling. This is a stock figure from the bungling
teacher played by Will Hay in the 1930s to the Chuckle Brothers. This seems
to contradict arguments that men are represented as skilled and perfect – the
fact that this representation exists may be to re-enforce what men should aspire
to be by laughing at what they should not be like.

The representation of men in adverts has changed over the past 20 years as
more grooming products are aimed at men. The Dolce and Gabbana poster
represents men as sex symbols with chiselled features and well toned bodies.

Even the James Bond franchise has undergone a “male-makeover” for example
in Casino Royale he is represented as caring and sensitive. In previous James
Bond films a shower scene would be part of a sex scene but here both
characters are fully clothed. Bond comforts Vesper and can be seen almost in
tears himself. Bond is not a player in this film and falls in love with one woman
and wants to stay with her forever. He is also represented as a sex object like a
Bond Girl when we see him coming out of the sea wearing tight swimming
trunks which is a reference (homage) to Ursula Andress in Dr No. Here Bond is
subjected to the “female gaze” rather than Mulvey’s male gaze. The fact that
he is “James blond” makes him more sexualised and a sex object as he is the
first blond Bond. James Bond also has a boss who is a woman which represents
men having less power and authority over women in today’s society.

The Full Monty offers a diverse representation of men and challenges

stereotypes. We are shown all types of men, old and young, slim and fat, gay
and straight as well as black and white characters. The film is not just about
male unemployment – it shows how terribly men feel by being unemployed. The
dominant ideology is that men are the bread-winners so unemployment makes
them feel humiliated and vulnerable. While the dominant point of view belongs
to Gaz who is desperate to keep contact with his son, the narrative also follows
Dave’s fears about his loss of masculinity and Gerald’s quest to hang on to his
middle-class aspirations. Guy and Lomper’s sexuality is not signalled by
stereotypical ways of categorising gay men such as camp and over-the-top such
as Daffyd in Little Britain. Their private choice of sexual partner is brought
into view by taking them out of the group and placing them in a private
situation.

At the films denouement when the men do “the full Monty” they too are
seen through a female gaze with lots of close ups and mid shots on their naked
flesh. Lighting and music add to the erotic effect with reaction shots on the all
female audience who are clearly enjoying the show. The men symbolically shed
their uniforms of male conformity (security uniforms are associated with
toughness and power) to reveal their true selves. This is the opposite of Full
Metal Jacket when men had to conceal their true selves with the uniform of
conformity and discipline. In The Full Monty stripping is seen as a liberating
experience for these men.

In conclusion there are many stereotypical representations of men throughout

the media. However there is also scope to challenge stereotypes and to reflect
different and changing attitudes in society towards masculinity and gender.