Paper

Jacqueline Tavera
ENG 101-0800

When we think about the ideal kind of guy the physical part seems to never skip our minds, it’s as if we automatically connect being physically fit and being in shape a masculine thing for males to do but is being on the heavier side less masculine for a male. Well statistically speaking there are over 20 different kinds of male fitness magazines in the US, but in “Men’s Fitness” which is the magazine I pick for my research over all in the year 2010 I found a few issues that highlighted the essences of being physically fit and how otherwise is would just be lame.
In the issues for October 2010 just the cover read “Ripped & Stronger, 88 Ways to Lose Fat, Get Lean, Our Boxing Workout Will Change Your Body in 30Day.” When you go to the article and read it just down talks anything other than being “ripped” as bad. Any of the articles of which read from the cover were only about comparing body types and giving you tips on how to work on yourself to become more ideal to the idea that they are trying to project out as masculine, the selection of wording the use targeted the reader like ”Get Lean” or “Change”.
When you take a look at the issues for November 2010 in big bold black letters it reads “Burn Body Fat Fast” goes on by saying “Build A Hardcore NFL Body” and on the opposite side it reads “Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam, his rugged body-weight work out will get you ripped”. When I read the articles I move than convinced that there is no other way I could survive in the world if I were a male and was not ripped like Charlie Hunnam or like any of the NFL players that are in top physical shape.
Another eye catching issues I found was the new December issues 2010, it has an article on Mike also known as “The Situation” from Jersey Shore, the title is “How to drink and get abs like Mike”. In it he gives the 8 fit rules he live by a few of them where just basics but when I got to rule number seven which states, “Make working out your No.1 commitment, because it builds the confidence and discipline you need to succeed in every domain of your life.” In every one of the quotes I found a physically fit male is the more ideal kind of guy Men’s Fitness projects as the right kind of masculinity any guy what to become. And if there are and opposing view to that idea they target the reader by using key words that down talk any potential thought the reader might have as to why he is not fit and how that plays out in his life to the reason on why he is the way he is.
Over all the idea of what is the right type or kind of male to be just to seem masculine in obscene for the reason that by targeting in an isolated way human defects seem to be the only way to outcast the male reader to feed into the stereotypical persona of how the media targets the males of today’s day and age to be walking advertisements in the sense that they are brain washed and become highly uncomfterble with them self.




Thesis: being more physically fit makes you more masculine.
MensFitness.com
Sitting1: December 2010
“How to drink party and get abs like this Mike "The Situation" from Jersey Shore”
Sitting2: November 2010
“Build a hardcore NFL body; “Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam, his rugged body-weight work out will get you ripped”
Sitting4: October 2010
“Ripped & Strong”