...respect the....i don't mean that

In chapter eight of Gauntlett’s book he talks about male identities. He describes different male magazines. Many of the magazines were finding a way to sell magazines besides Playboy to men. The way they did this is offer a magazine with women in them and also with advice and articles like movie reviews. The magazines use irony and humor to deal with their advice and problems, but at the same time these problems reinforce an unconfident masculinity. One person argues that the magazines look to keep men’s feelings hidden. In many ways the magazines help with un-talked about insecurities according to Gauntlett, but I don't know how much they really help.

I chose the character Frank T.J. Mackey from the movie Magnolia. Frank sells a self-help thing for men to seduce and have sex with women. He constantly stands as this confident guy who is just helping out all the other guys. There is a very macho feeling about the character, but by the end of the movie he is broken down. He is forced to deal with his repressed problems.

I tend to agree with one of the criticisms of men’s magazines that they tend to keep men’s feelings hidden. Frank Mackey not only hides his feelings, but intends to make feelings up in order to seduce women. Even if these magazines deal with feeling I'm not sure their goal is to make a better person. I think the real question becomes, is the masculinity enforced in the magazines real masculinity. I think it comes across more like Frank Mackey if only because of the pictures. I think what happens to Frank is a clue to where this masculinity can lead. They don't enforce anything good, and if this is where a guy draws his male identity can't that be destructive?

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