'New' Male Consumer

This dissertation explores the changing nature of the male consumer market as defined by the mass media. The "peacock revolution" of the 1970s, the "new" man of the 1980s, and the "metrosexual" man of the late 1900s are just a few examples of the mainstream press proclaiming a new ideology and image for American men. In addition to the new exterior image of men, there has been recent discussion of a move toward a heightened level of muscularity as a measure of male beauty. Although there are numerous examples of these suppositions in the press, this research does not support such claims. Using men's lifestyle magazines over a 40 year span (1965-2005) as a source of information the product categories, advertising purchasers, male model body preferences, and sexuality of imagery featuring male models were examined. The advertising of appearance management products, and the individual product categories themselves, have remained consistent over the 40 year time span. This shows a steady interest in clothing and appearance products. Preferred body type for male models in these men's interest magazines has also essentially remained consistent. The mesomorphic body type is the most popular body type, showing a preference for a specific male waist to shoulder ratio over time. Aspects of the male body that have shown variation over time is body fat levels and muscularity. There has been a decrease in the amount of general body fat over time with a low recorded in the 1990s. Muscularity preference has been shown to be in the "somewhat" muscular rating as opposed to the "very" muscular rating, going against the notion that men are idealized to be larger and stronger than ever before. Analysis of advertisements featuring male models shows a consistency of male body exposure and sexuality of imagery. Sexuality of imagery was measured using several distinct methods. One method compared the results of heterosexual and homosexual men and found a statistical difference in response. Overall, this research presents an argument for the consistency of male appearance management product interest, ideal male body type, and sexual nature of advertising in selected men's interest magazines.