https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2 Perceptions of male bodies and masculinity en-us 2016-08-16 05:05:30 UTC 2026-01-09 02:57:44 UTC hello@padlet.com rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118380277 The growing pressures that young men and boys face is highlighted in this viral Youtube video created by The Try Guys, in which they subject themselves to the idealised versions of the male body and are photoshopped to represent their ideal body types. In it,  they come face-to-face with how the male body has become an object of desire and how it personally affects their perceptions of their own masculinity.]]> 2016-08-16 05:38:43 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118380277 rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118380854 The standards of male beauty are different around the world; however there is a similarity when it comes to the ideal male body; it must exude masculinity as according to definition of masculinity within that culture.]]> 2016-08-16 05:49:26 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118380854 rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118381615 This article epitomises the recent furore about the objectification of the bodies of male athletes during the Rio Olympic Games. Social media erupted at the start of the games during the Opening Ceremony, in which the flag bearer for Tonga become an internet sensation for his traditional - and revealing - outfit; his oiled-up muscles quickly became a meme. A recent feature in the women's magazine Cosmopolitan depicting the 'Best Olympic Bulges' is also mentioned in this article as evidence that there is a 'role-reversal' in the objectification of bodies. However, it should that noted that whilst there has seemingly been a surge in the sexualisation of the bodies of male athletes, these men are seen as athletes first; potential sex-objects second, in comparison to the objectification of female Olympic athletes.]]> 2016-08-16 06:05:22 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118381615 rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118381799 This poignant article details the rise in young British males going to the gym and working on their bodies as a way of 'feeling valuable in society' (para. 6) and how "Austerity Britain" has eroded traditional routes of success. The male body in this instance has become a vehicle for masculinity, stepping away from the traditionally 'masculine' markers such as being the breadwinner, working your way up the career ladder and providing for your family, which has been made all the more difficult given the current economic climate after the Global Financial Crisis.]]> 2016-08-16 06:08:48 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118381799 rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118382915 Spencer Althouse's personal article about his efforts to 'gain 20 pounds of muscle and self-confidence' is a stark reminder that many men do in fact have issues with body confidence and self-esteem. However, men do not seem to have the same level of support and understanding that is reflected in magazines, websites and social media that women do, exacerbating the tendency to feel as though their struggles are "unmanly", and that it is weak to have any doubts about their bodies. ]]> 2016-08-16 06:17:08 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118382915 rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118383416 The insecurity that men face when it comes to self-esteem and body issues is noted as being absent from men's fitness writing and magazines; something which is sorely needed to balance the current literature outlining what is the desirable male body. As men start to feel the effects of being an object of gaze - whether it be from the media, women or other men - the pressures that men face to maintain their bodies is not supported by messages of body-positivity; or at least certainly not to the extent that women's magazines and media extol.

]]> 2016-08-16 06:22:47 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118383416 rneal5 https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118514114 This padlet is about the changing ideals of what the male body should look like and how it is changing the structure of modern masculinity. I centre my work around the article 'Body Projects and the Regulation of Normative Masculinity' by R. Gill, K. Henwood and C. McLean (2005); particularly the notion that 'the male (body) has become an object of the gaze rather than simply the bearer of the look' (pp. 39). Gill, Henwood and McLean detail how men's bodies have gone from 'near invisibility to hypervisibility' (pp. 39) over the course of a decade, and examine how this recent saturation of men's bodies in the media has had a negative impact on boys and men. ]]> 2016-08-17 01:28:02 UTC https://padlet.com/rneal5/i0atxb0ezdo2/wish/118514114