Final Draft

Jeremiah Rivera
Miss. B
English 101

Research Paper #1

Alcoholic, Beastly, Dominant, Prideful, these are a few stereotypes that people think of when it

comes to men. Well at least when it comes to a traditional man. People of course think these

stereotypes are true especially with help from the media and ads in magazines. It looks like every

year a different masculinity is used to promote a theme for a magazine. In the year 2009 Maxim

magazine did its research and constructed a years worth of brain washing material. Maxim

magazine helped promote the theme of traditional masculinity to men in 2009. The traditional

definition of masculinity includes attributes such as independence, pride, resiliency, self control

and physical strength. I personally think that this definition has a double bind meaning that a

person is required to follow two contradicting requirements. It’s nearly impossible to do two

contradictory things at the same time. In the case of Maxim, they use their articles to reset men’s

brains to follow traditional masculinity because it is the latest trend. I gathered up a couple of

issues of Maxim magazine from the year 2009 and went on the official Maxim website to search

for articles to help support my thesis that traditional masculinity was the theme of that year

Maxim Magazine uses suggest that men should be fit and work out to support their theme of

traditional masculinity in 2009. In a January issue of Maxim magazine I found an article by

Christian Rebaldo entitled "What Happens?" which was about a man named Christian asking the

editors of Maxim on what would happen if he had took steroids but didn't work out? The editors

of Maxim encouraged him not to take steroids and explained to him that if he wanted a fit body

he should get it "the old fashion way" by working out. With that one statement “the old fashion


way” Maxim refers to traditional masculinity. Even though in this situation traditional
masculinity is the right approach it seems like Maxim uses this as a way to persuade their male

readers that traditional masculinity is the right masculinity and it will help you obtain a better life

knowing that you were able to do yourself.

Maxim also suggest that men should groom themselves in a more hunter like way as suppose to

using cosmetics after grooming. I found an article on Maxim's website that supports the fact that

Maxim was using traditional masculinity in 2009. The article by William Buckley entitled

“Maxim's Style Guide: to Shave Properly” teaches men how to simply use a razor to shave

instead of the extra use of creams and oils. Within the article I caught the phrase "How real men

use to do it" referring to an old fashion way of living. Maxim again uses another phrase referring

to traditional masculinity to teach their male reader that it is very manly not to use oils soaps and

other cosmetics when they can just use water and a clean blade. This article also uses the

subliminal message that a clean shave will attract females and it this process will work if the man

doesn’t smell pretty after the shave.

According to traditional masculinity men were seen as the provider and hunters of the family.

After, reading a special January issue of Maxim I discovered an article by Ted Nugget entitled

"Kill Your Way To Happiness" where Ted Nugget tells Maxim about his time as a U.S. Marine

and how to helps him hunt for food. He goes on to explain that being a former marine helps him

get use to weather conditions and how it makes it easier to hunt for food. "The family loves the

fresh Boar" he tells Maxim. Maxim for the third time now uses a quote to promote traditional

masculinity. It gives off the message that perhaps women like a man that can be like the

traditional man and is able to provide for their families.

To further investigate this method of traditional men and being “hunters” I had looked into

this topic of males being viewed as the dominant one of the family as well as being viewed as the

provider of the family and came across an online article by Jose M. Abreu entitled “ Ethnic

Belonging and Traditional Masculinity Ideology Among African Americans, European

Americans and Latinos”. The article shows that masculinity is affected by ethnicity and how in

different ethnicities some men are viewed as dominant and the provider of the family and in

some other ethnicities men and women share power. According to the article European

Americans show this trait of dominance and provider type more than any other ethnicity

mentioned in the article.

In history men have been stereotyped as alcoholics and apparently being "best friends with the

bottle". In a January issue of Maxim magazine I found an article by Satoshi called "The 99 Best

Bottles(and Cans) On Earth" it listed the best beers a man should drink. This goes back to the

stereotype that men are just alcoholics. With articles such as this one it does not help men

remove this alcoholic image. Instead Maxim magazine uses this to encourage men and their

friends to feed into the stereotype and chug their way to traditional masculinity.

To support this male bonding activity of drinking I searched up traditional masculinity and

male bonds and I discovered an article by Joesph H. Pleck entitled ” Masculinity Ideology: Its

Impact On Adolescent Male’s Heterosexual Relationships”. This article describes how

adolescents can easily be manipulated and the affect traditional masculinity has on them. The

idea of male bonding and drinking is one of the stereotypes of traditional masculinity.

Traditional masculinity puts the idea into their heads that they can have multiple sexual relations

and have unprotected to sex to certify their masculinity.

Maxim Magazine has been using traditional masculinity as their theme in the year 2009. They

have tried to influence men into traditional masculinity by using the encouragement of alcohol,

and telling them to hunt like a predator. I don’t think men should follow this traditional way of

life because I feel like we live in a new era and men should express themselves in their own way

as suppose to following someone else’s life style.
.

Work Cited
1.Abreu, M. Jose “Ethnic Belonging and Traditional Masculinity Ideology Among African Americans, European Americans and Latinos” 31 August 1999 Psychology of Men and Masculinity

2.Buckey,William. “Maxim’s Style Guide: Learn To Shave Properly” Maxim Magazine.com 6 Nov. 2009. New York, New York

3. Nugnet. Ted. “Kill Your Way To Happiness”. Maxim Magazine January 2009:133. New York, New York

4.Pleck, H. Joesph “Masculinity Ideology: It’s Impacts on Adolescent Male’s Heterosexual Relationships” 14 April 2010:1 Journal of Social Issues

5.. Rebaldo. Christian” What Happens”. Maxim Magazine January 2009:133. New York, New York

6.. Satoshi. “The 99 Best Bottles(and Cans) On Earth”. Maxim Magazine January 2009:133. New York, New York