The Body and Success



The first primary area of emphasis dealt with in "Men's Health" is in the area of "success". This is rather loosely defined as economic and occupational success, as well as the achievement of an ideal lifestyle that falls in line with the masculine discourse espoused by the magazine. Each magazine cover features an article which gives advice on increasing financial status. The words "build wealth" are featured on two of the magazines, while "retire rich" is shown on the other. This implies that a "real man" desires to increase his financial status, and that the ability to do so is a characteristic of ideal manhood. Such ideas draw on greed and insecurity, and associate them with masculinity. There are no articles which emphatically state "Be happy and content with what you have!" The other regime of truth that is espoused through the magazine cover is the idea that, as David Collinson and Jeff Hearn state in their article, "notions of 'work' and 'the workplace,'reduce the meaning and status of 'work' to the organizational or workplace, the employed, the public. For men in particular, work and workplaces still refer primarily and overwhelmingly to the organizational, to employment and to what happens in 'public'" (Hearn 66). In other words, there is no indication that "success" and "work" might apply to an area outside of the field of employment and public influence. The masculine discourse espoused in the magazine makes no room for a man who might prefer to work within the domestic sphere, or who wishes to volunteer. Rather, success is primarily seen as strictly economic or in regards to a growth of power and status.




There is also the notion that the work referred to in the magazine is white collar work, and the work-related issues and advice is primarily concerned with those of middle to upper-middle class males. It can be inferred that this advice is also concerned with white man, is white males have historically been the primary workers of white-collar jobs (although this is becoming less and less the case). Regardless, the terms "work" and "success" also do not apply to blue collar, labor oriented jobs, nor do they refer to less conventional jobs within the arts or academic fields. Indeed, it would seem that the "work" referred to in "Men's Health", is white-collar work in the public, corporate sphere, for affluent middle class males and that the ideal male should strive for this type of occupation. Lastly, it is worth noting that the captions that espouse advice on financial and occupational success are layered within other advice about an ideal male body type, and are situated next to pictures of ideal-manhood. This leads the reader to conclude, whether consciously or unconsciously, that the ideal male body is intimately and fundamentally entangled with financial success and the ideal masculine lifestyle. Go to sex

Back