Men: the "Newest" Objects of Desire

Kira Meehan

College Writing

Professor Stanfill

November 2, 2009

Men: The “Newest” Objects of Desire

In modern-day advertising, there are endless ways in which imagery can be perceived. The newest expansions in the media involve men being portrayed in an entirely new light than in previous years and generations. Susan Bordo’s “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body” delves deep into the changes in society’s perception of masculinity and what it means to be a “real” man. A technique that she uses in her essay is subject position, with which she not only states and supports her own opinion, but analyzes both images and ideologies through the perspective of others. This allows the reader to more fully comprehend the facets of what Bordo is saying, and also presents new ideas that can be explored further. The male models of advertising can be seen in endless ways if you begin looking through the eyes of someone else, particularly people with a much different “position” than your own.

Bordo’s essay highlights “dual advertising” a great deal. Due to societal changes and consumerism, she says, “images of masculinity that will do double…duty with a variety of consumers, straight and gay, male and female, are not difficult to create” (Bordo 141). She explains her point through the ideas and actions of famous underwear producer and advertiser Calvin Klein who frequented the Flamingo gay bar in New York because the young men there were exactly what he felt would sell his product. They were attractive, muscular, and “embodied a highly masculine aesthetic that—although definitely exciting for gay men—would scream ‘heterosexual’ to (clueless) straights” (140). The men in Klein’s advertisements became symbols of manliness, when in reality many of them were homosexual. “Tricking” the so-called “clueless” straights into thinking the ads were aimed at straight men was necessary, although viewers who paid close attention could see the appeal for a gay man. At that time, showing...