mad men

In John Beynon’s article, “The Comercialization of Masculinities,” he talks about the changes masculinity has gone through. He talks about two strands of masculinity. The nurturer is a man that is close to the feminist movement. He accepts their ideas more than traditional masculinity. The other is the narcissist. He is represented by men who are looking for more style and have been sexualized in advertising. This has led to the yuppie. They are like the narcissist, but they are also characterized by their ambition for money and corporate power.
The “New Man-as-Narcissist” is displayed perfectly in the AMC show Mad Men. In the article Beynon talks about how this man was created by a steering away from the “normal” of wife and children. They were the Playboy image. The characters on the show completely represent this. Their characters could be summed up in three actions; drinking, smoking, and cheating on their wives. One of the characters has recently left their wife for a younger secretary. This is making his lifestyle public. Living the lifestyle is fine, but there is a struggle on the show to whether this lifestyle is publicly acceptable. It’s funny the more a character represents this image the higher their status in the company rises.
I think this show is a perfect example of this masculinity. It is presenting this culture to the viewers, but I think it is also representing that corporate power and narcissistic masculinity go hand in hand. I think that is the larger problem with this masculinity. It helps realize the importance of a nurturing masculinity.

pic:blogs.mediavillage.com