It's Not for Women

What does it mean to be "a man"? Does it have to do with how big and tough a guy is? What about how large and toned his muscles are? Or maybe it's all about whether or not he can kick another guys ass. Being violent, big, and scary and only showing the emotion of anger is how the media is portraying what it means to be a "man". In almost all action movies the men cast in these roles of heroes and villains have huge upper bodies accompanied by military-style weapons. In the genre of rap music they talk about violence to others and themselves, degrading women, and abusing drugs and alcohol. Even in advertisements for things such as clothes, perfume/cologne, beer, and certain magazines, it shows how dominant men are in this world.

Here is a commercial for Dr. Pepper 10. The advertisement is for a low-calorie soda. Obviously no man wants to admit to watching his weight and drinking a "healthier" soda drink. So what did the oh-so-smart creative team do to make this more appealing to men? They spiced it up with a totally fierce and action-packed stunt scene, said this drink wouldn't appeal to women because it the flavor was too bold and exciting for them to handle. And then of course Dr. Pepper needed the finishing touch and came up with the motto of "Dr. Pepper 10, it's not for women". This just goes to show that violence is considered manly and masculine. Or at least the media is trying to make it's audience believe that this goes hand-in-hand with being a "real man". I personally find this commercial hilarious! I don't even really know why, but I always laugh when I see it!

Maybe because I don't think being a "real man" is synonymous with violence, muscles, or being a cocky jerk. What is regularly being portrayed in the media is not my opinion on what it is to be a man. To me, being a man means being chivalrous, polite, intelligent, humorous, and charismatic. None of which are portrayed in excess anymore; or how they used to be. My vision of a true man would be someone like Frank Sinatra, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan! These men don't need big muscles or lots of weapons to show the world they gentlemen. I guess that is the perfect word to go with being a "real man". Real man = Gentleman.

Age Is Just A Number

Television has skewed the public's point of view on women and men. What is considered attractive, suitable, and "normal". TV portrays their stereotypes and raises it to the next level. In George Gerbner's video "The Electronic Storyteller: Television and the Cultivation of Values" he says that a women can only be cast as a romantic lead until the age of 30. However, there seems to be a double standard in regards to men. Men can play a romantic lead in a show or movie no matter how old he is.

When Gerbner was talking about this affect, I was thinking about "Sex and the City". The character of Samantha Jones is extremely open and comfortable talking about sex and how much and how often she has it. She's such a power house and a total independent woman. It's fantastic! Oh, and she is also older than 30. Take that! I wish more TV shows and movies would portray a character like Samantha without making her out to be a slutty woman with no morals. The "Sex and the City" series is one of my all-time favorite. And Samantha is without a doubt my favorite character. The things that come out of her mouth are provocative, crude, and absolutely true. That's the best part, women are already thinking these things in their heads and Samantha is just bold enough to say them out loud and not give a shit about it. Her confidence is one to be admired in my opinion. It gives a nice middle finger to the TV people who say a women can't be viewed as sexual or romantic over the age of 30.