Objectification of the Men: The Case of Men's Cosmetics Advertisements

Objektivizacija muškaraca odnosi se na prikazivanje i tretiranje muškaraca kao pukih objekata fizičke ţelje, svodeći ih na njihov izgled i seksualnu privlačnost. Ovakav prikaz muškarca u medijima moţe dovesti do štetnih posljedica, utjecati na muško samopouzdanje, na kreiranje izopačene slike o vlastitom tijelu te moţe promovirati i odrţavati nerealne standarde muškosti. Cilj ovoga diplomskog rada bio je istraţiti način na koji su muškarci prikazani u reklamama za mušku kozmetiku fokusirajući se na načine prikazivanja odreĎenih dijelova njihovih tijela. Rad ţeli ukazati na problem objektivizacije muškaraca čija problematika nije toliko istraţena za razliku od objektivizacije ţena. Odabrana metoda istraţivanja u zadanom radu je analiza narativa, a kao namjerni uzorak uzeto je osam televizijskih reklama za mušku kozmetiku. Analizom spomenutih televizijskih reklama za različite kozmetičke proizvode za muškarce, uočava se fokus na dijelove tijela koji imaju najbitniju ulogu u konstruiranju ideala muške ljepote. Prije svega dominira prikaz torza, a još su zastupljene ruke i lice. Gotovo u svim reklamama muškarci su atletske graĎe, u skladu s idealom muške ljepote, čime se potrošaču šalje poruka da će se kupnjom proizvoda kupac izgledom pribliţiti prikazanim muškarcima. Uvidom u povijesne narative moţemo zamijetiti gotovo nepromijenjen ideal muške ljepote od antičkih vremena do danas.Male objectification refers to the portrayal and treatment of men as mere objects of physical desire, reducing them to their appearance and sexual appeal. This type of representation of men in the media can lead to harmful consequences, affect male self confidence, create a distorted image of one's own body and can promote and maintain unrealistic standards of masculinity. The aim of this graduation thesis was to examine the portrayal of men in advertisements for male cosmetics, focusing on the ways in which specific parts of their bodies are depicted. The paper seeks to highlight the issue of male objectification which has received less attention in research compared to the objectification of women. The chosen research method for this study is narrative analysis. An intentional sample of eight television advertisements for male cosmetics was taken. By examining historical narratives it becomes apparent that the ideal of male beauty has remained largely unchanged from ancient times to the present day. Through the analysis of the mentioned television commercials for different cosmetic products for men, the focus on body parts that play a crucial role in constructing the ideal of male beauty becomes evident. The portrayal of the torso dominates, but also hands and face. Almost all of the advertisements feature men with an athletic build, aligning with the ideal of male beauty, thereby conveying the message to consumers that purchasing the product will bring them closer to resembling the depicted men in appearance. By looking at the historical narratives, we can see an almost unchanged ideal of male beauty from ancient times to the present day