Abstract:

Today, it is frequently argued in literature that in this century, wherein societies are visibly undergoing rapid change, this change is also effected men. Men are being forced to change due to technological progress and women and their struggles for freedom as well as the efforts for equality by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. This change can be observed in mass communication. Today, as evidenced in several studies, it is obvious that men are no longer visible in magazine advertisements just as their classical gender roles which portray men as dominant, powerful, insensitive and careerist. It can be observed that they have been used as objects of sex appeal in advertisements. In this study, four magazines, (FHM, Boxer, Esquire, and Men’s Health) published for men were analyzed. Magazine advertisements for Turkey’s issues between January 2013 and December 2013 were examined. In total, 659 advertisements were examined; dublications are removed. In 235 of these advertisements, one or more images of a man have been found. In these ads, we study whether a man’s image occurs, using the content analysis method. According to findings, the images of males in these ads represent perceptions of the ideal image of males in the Turkish society. This study is important for the use of advertisements for illustrating the situation of men in the face of social change.

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