Quiz 2, Question 1: Hypermasculinity

Hypermasculinity is the exaggeration of stereotypical male behavior. For American society, things generally associated with masculinity include big muscles, sports cars,motorcycles, and constantly being surrounded by women. Feminist author and philosopher Judith Butler likens this exaggeration of gender to a performance, claiming that it society who has created the idea of what it means to be feminine and what it means to be masculine. She further explains this idea in her article entitled "Imitation and Gender Insubordination"; "but gender is a compulsory performance in the sense that acting out of line with heterosexual norms bring with it ostracism, punishment and violence." Thus, making it difficult for those who act opposite of the gender they were born.

On the cover of Men's Health to the left, actor Ryan Reynolds is displayed on a motorcycle. In addition, he is wearing a leather jacket. Since the magazine is about health, the message being displayed seems a tad confusing: Are the creators of Men's Health implying that in order to be healthy one must ride a motorcycle? And why would a magazine supposedly focused on the well-being of men focus so much on fashion and "the best clothes in the world?"Perhaps the indication is that dressing in fashionable clothes and riding motorcycles will not only keep you healthy but also get you girls. Men's Health in general seems to have more of a metrosexual feel to it; Ryan's clothes, facial expression, and hair all have a feminine flair. His leather jacket is also very tight, the way a woman would wear her jacket. In contrast, however, the Muscle and Fitness magazine isn't feminine at all. The man on the front has clearly used steroids to get his ridiculously ripped arms and abs. In addition, he looks like he's yelling out some kind of deep grunt, making him look animalistic. His posture and facial expression make him appear powerful and fearless. Just as notable as his physically ripped figure are the words on the magazine; all of them are telling the readers how they too can achieve this man's ultra-ripped body. While the Men's Health magazine seems to focus more on the things men need to be masculine (leather jackets, motorcycles), Muscle and Fitness focuses more on what men actually need to look like to attract females. Both advertisements, however, are expressing how men must perform or act in order to attract the attention of females. Perhaps the positive aspect of these covers is that they do display two very different ideas of masculinity. But, it is important to understand that there are many more definitions of masculinity and they should not be confined to either wearing nice clothes and riding motorcycles and doing steroids until you look ridiculous.