Masculinities in Teen Magazines: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Response

The article by Diane Prusank titled “Masculinities in Teen Magazines: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” is about a study done of numerous generations that looked into the different types of male personalities by comparing them to articles found in typically female oriented magazines. Prusank found that “masculinity is a social construction, therefore, there are many forms of masculinity present in any culture at a given point in time and those masculinities may not be the same as the ones which existed in the past or may exist in the future.” In one of the magazines that they followed over the years, Seventeen magazine, they can across numerous articles consisting of ways to deal with a break up, what he really means when he says… and how to keep a guy. All this articles portray the image that it is a female’s responsibility to get a male companion instead of the other way around. The articles had a tendency to instill girls with the message that physical appearance and romantic relationships were critical aspects of life. Nearly all of the articles portray girls in traditional ways assigning them the role of keeper of romantic relationships. The study conducted over a series of decades divided males into categories such as the new man and the bad and the ugly. The “new man” in these texts refers to the “feminized male” and the “new man-as nurturer” image. The “new man” experiences and expresses emotions, values personal relationships and can be viewed as vulnerable. Women are typically associated with being the fragile and delicate sex. However, now studies have discovered that some men may be more in touch with their emotional side. The typical male is seen as being dominant, muscular and the protector of the relationship. Nowadays a new type of man is emerging into the scene, one that is more realistic. Most magazines make out guys to be jerks and only having sexual desires on their agenda. They stereotype the male gender and categorize the so called “nice guys” into this category as well, when in reality they are nothing of the sort. In men’s magazines there is a similar stereotype for women. Most articles are on “how to get a girl” or “top ten things she likes in bed.” The targeted audience for these articles are for the men that fulfill this stereotype.