Representation of men in the media

Changes in male representation:

since the 1980's there has been changes, new stereotypes have emerged that deviate from traditional masculine traits. Many argue this is mainly due to the rise of feminism and the equality of women in society.

Main stereotypes of men:

• The action hero: is strong but not always silent, often angry and above all, aggressive and engages in violent behaviour.
• The big shot: is defined by the professional status, is successful and represents the characteristics and acquiring the possessions that society sees as valuable - this suggests that a "real" man must be economically powerful and socially successful.
• The strong silent type: focuses on being in charge, containing emotion and succeeding with women - this reinforces the assumption that men and boys should always be in control and talk about ones feelings is a sign of weakness.
• The jock: is always willing to compromise his own long-term health, must fight other men when necessary and must avoid being soft, aggressive - by demonstrating power and strength would win approval of other men and the adoration of women.
• The joker: very popular character with boys and men - potentially negative consequences of this is the assumption that boys and men should not be serious or emotional.

Patriarchy:

The reason for the positive and dominant representations of men in the media is down to power, many critics suggest that we still are living within a patriarchal society. Men have been in control of the media and so have created positive representations that support their dominance - hegemony.