In today’s society, many people have come to accept the fact that women can do everything that man can do. It is now acceptable for women to be “manly” without losing their womanhood. The question is: if the image about women only being feminine has changed, how come men are still pressured to only be masculine? Are “macho” men the only “real” men? Does it take a strong jaw-line, defined and muscular abs, and a beer in one hand to be considered a “true” man? Today’s world has summed up men to be just that… In order to be considered real men, they can’t wear the color pink, drink diet soda, do housework, drink fruity-flavored alcoholic drinks, or be anything less than a sports-loving, scotch-drinking, gym-going, and woman-loving guy.
In an ad about the new Dr. Pepper soda, “Dr. Pepper Ten”, the slogan that Dr. Pepper used was “IT’S NOT FOR WOMEN” in big, bold letters. This message implies that the drink is meant to be only for men. Underneath the slogan, the ad reads “A lady-free zone of rugged, macho, hair-on-your-chest awesomeness that’s definitely not for women.” In this ad, not only is Dr. Pepper discriminating women, but it is also raising the question that if a guy is not “rugged, macho”, and has “hair on his chest” then, could he not drink that soda? Would he fall in the same category as the women who can’t drink it, therefore not be considered a man? Dr. Pepper made it clear that this drink was for men even though the description of the “ideal man” that they would like to drink their new soda is very specific and only a small percentage of the male population would fit those criteria. Yet, men continue to view this image of the ideal male as what they should be; they view it as what they want to become, and sometimes even believe that they should be.
Another ad that is directed specifically towards men is an ad by Maximus Vodka. In the ad, there is an image of a man with a strong jawline, a “tough” look to his eyes, dirt smeared on his face, and his hand in a fist grasping a rope, and what seems like rock behind him. Over the image are the words “Vodka flavored vodka. For men.” Once again, this ad not only discriminates against women, but also gives men the idea that, since “vodka flavored vodka” is for men, then any vodka that is flavored at all is therefore for women. This leads to conclude the idea that men should not drink flavored vodka because if they do, then they would not be “men”. They would be in the same category as those who “can’t” drink “vodka-flavored vodka”: women. At the bottom of the ad, in smaller letters, it says: “Rise and conquer”. This is inferring that, since that Maximus Vodka is for men, then men should “rise and conquer”, hence explaining the image in the background of the man “rising and conquering”. But what if a man isn’t one to go and “conquer” new things? What if a man prefers his vodka to be blueberry-flavored vodka? Do these things make him less of a man? Is he even considered a “real” man anymore? Today’s society sometimes makes people be unsure about the answers to those questions.
Many things in today’s media world represent men in a certain way; they are represented in a way that only a percentage of men fit that representation. Where does that leave the rest of the men in the world? Is it that, just because a man doesn’t have hair on his chest like the man in the ad, he is not a real man? Maybe it is that if a man has soft hands, he has no sense of masculinity? How about if a man enjoys watching gymnastics instead of football, is he demoted to “boy” instead of “man”? Or is it if a man enjoys cooking in the kitchen and baking desserts for his family, that he has “lost his man-card”? Our society today has become so caught up with making women equal to men and allowing them to do anything that men “typically” do so that they become equal. Unfortunately, men have not been as fortunate as the women to get ahead in what is socially “acceptable” for them to do, or how to act in today’s world.
So what? Why do these ads matter? Why does the way a man perceive how he should be matter? In a society in which women have moved up and been able to take a step forward and “join” men in their masculinity, their tasks, and “roles” in the world, men have become forgotten. They have had the same image and same role for many years, and being “tough” and “strong” has always been at a man’s to-do list. Men should be able to decide for themselves how they want to show the world what a “real” man is. Whether it is by climbing mountains or ironing clothes, by fixing a car or going shopping, drinking beer or a martini. Real men should not have to conform to society’s image of the “ideal male”, instead, they should decide how to portray themselves according to their likes and dislikes, their desires, and their ideas. Each man, with whatever it is that he does, should be able to show the world that they are real men for being themselves.