Gender/HW

Poldark 1975
The Male Gaze Theory can be applied to this image to some extent. This is because the male appears to be trying to take a dominant role. However, the female in the image does not appear to be submissive due to her body language; her folded arms suggest that she is not necessarily consenting. This could mean that the image does not 'represent the interests of the heterosexual male' as the Male Gaze Theory would suggest.

Poldark 2015
The modern version of Poldark contrasts significantly from the 1975 version. In this image, the male rather than the female is sexualised. This can be deduced from the fact that he is topless and has a very 'masculine' physique. This conforms to the Female Gaze Theory (Hanson 1984). This is because the male is sexualised, introducing the idea that the image is to be enjoyed by a heterosexual female viewer.


Body Image - The way we think and feel about the size, shape, weight and overall appearance of our bodies.
Dysmorphia - A mental disorder characterised by an obsessive preoccupation that some aspect of one's own appearance is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix it.

• When most people think about problems with body image they think about young women.
• Historically, women have been subjected to greater objectification in the media - girls are constantly fed the message that the only way to succeed is by being attractive.

• 1.6m people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, of which around 11% are male. - BEAT eating disorder charity/ The rising amount of males suffering from eating disorders and abusing steroids is linked to media representation of men

• To limit the body image pressure men feel, we need to promote the idea that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes for men, just as we do for women.

Representations of men: Masculinity is a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. Representations tend to focus on:

Representations of men:

- Physical and Intellectual Strength

- Power 

- Sexual Attractiveness

- Independence
- Dominance

Representations of Women: 

- Beauty

- Size/physique
- Domesticated
- Submissive

- Sexualised

- Emotional

- Relationships
- Maternal/Motherly figures

Archetype : a very typical example of a certain person or thing

Gender Binary: Describes a system where a society splits its members of male and female sexes into gender roles, gender identities and attributes.

"The existence of transgender individuals is an indication that binary sex is refutable. A person can exhibit both traits that were rendered exclusive to a boy or girl" Anne Fausto-Sterling

What is your view on the male Body Image to what extent do you think that the representation of male body image is changing.

Write a 500 word essay on this using visual references in support of your views
Use information gained from the viewing of

Reggie Yates' Extreme UK to help support your arguments and other sources of magazines.. GQ magazine, Men’s Health, etc.

Include at least two theories that you think applies in you analysis
Include examples a range of texts contemporary (within the last 5 years) and older texts.

'Body image' refers to the way we think and feel about the size, shape, weight and overall appearance of our bodies. Although socially, it may be assumed that this is more typically an issue associated with females as historically, women have been subjected to greater objectification in the media, the representation of the male body image is also undergoing significant change. According to the Eating Disorder Charity, BEAT, 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, of which 11% are males - suggesting that the issue of body image acceptability is an issue spread across both genders. A new study of a national sample of adolescent boys, reveals that nearly 18 percent of boys are highly concerned about their weight and physique. They are also at increased risk for a variety of negative outcomes: Boys in the study who were extremely concerned about weight were more likely to be depressed, and more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors such as binge drinking and drug use. This is known as dysmorphia: a mental disorder characterised by an obsessive preoccupation that some aspect of one's own appearance is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix it.

In the modern day, males are now feeling pressure from society to possess as much lean muscle as possible and to acquire the big-built, masculine six-pack body. This can lead to males taking part in dangerous activities in order to achieve this. For example, steroid use, plastic surgery or by using hazardous work-out techniques such as wrapping household cling-film around the abdominals during exercise in order to promote over-sweating, which can cause the body to dehydrate. Each of these pursuits can be seen on 'Reggie Yates' Extreme UK' - a TV programme that documents the extent that the males can be affected by media representations and the lengths that they are willing to go to in order to achieve their desired bodies.  Much of this pressure comes from representations of the male in the media, most notably from advertising and marketing publications, TV and Men's Magazines.

The image above, which can commonly be found in Men's magazines such as Men's Health and QC, is an example of the way the male body image is often represented in the media. This Calvin Klein aftershave advert presents a male model who appears to have the 'perfect body'. When seen by a male, this may create the impression that this is the norm amongst men and therefore create pressure for the male to adhere to this body image. 

In terms of TV-based media, the series Poldark shows two contrasting representations of the main male character when comparing the 1975 version to the more recent 2015 re-make of the programme.   The contemporary version denotes the main male character to be muscular and well-built whereas the initial edition depicts a more 'average' looking man. This change in male representations over the 30 year period suggests how society has changed. Not only are males under more pressure in the modern day to adhere to the male body image, but they are also more frequently objectified than they were previously. This could conform to Hansen's Female Gaze theory (1984), which suggests that 

women are also able to view male characters as erotic objects of desire - also subsequently creating personal pressures for males in society. The Diet Coke advert of 2013 is also an example of this as it denotes a group of females watching a male gardener taking off his clothes.