Media Apollos: Representation of the socially imposed ideal of male beauty in television perfume and underwear commercials

Pojam ljepote gotovo je nemoguće univerzalno definirati. Međutim, činjenica je da su tijekom povijesti u različitim društvima postojali različiti ideali muške ljepote, ovisno o vremenskom, prostornom i kulturološkom kontekstu. Razvoj medija omogućio je širi doseg oglašivačima, a konzumente doveo u potencijalno opasnu poziciju u kojoj ne mogu razaznati stvarnu od kreirane potrebe, osobito zbog imperativnog marketinškog nametanja proizvoda potrošačima. Kako zbog postojeće prazne niše u hrvatskom akademskom prostoru tako i zbog pojačanog oglašivačkog pritiska na publiku, ovaj diplomski rad nastoji rasvijetliti nametnuti ideal muške ljepote u reklamama za parfeme i donje rublje. Temeljni je cilj bio utvrditi način reprezentacije nametnutog ideala muške ljepote, ali i demistificirati elemente narativa te reklamno-televizijske tehnike kojima se publici serviraju nedostižni ciljevi. Analizom narativa utvrđeno je da parfemi i donje rublje protagonistima reklama pomažu dosegnuti nametnuto savršenstvo te ih iz prvobitne loše pozicije transformiraju u određeno blagostanje. Utvrđeno je i da ključnu ulogu u portretiranju idealnog muškarca imaju savršeno isklesani, apolonski mišići. Iako se rezultati istraživanja ne smiju poopćavati na veći uzorak od onoga koji je bio predmet analize, istraživanje može potaknuti konzumente medija na dublje promišljanje o sadržaju i porukama koje im mediji svakodnevno serviraju. Istraživanje može poslužiti kao polazišna točka budućih istraživanja, ali i kao svojevrsni poticaj oglašivačima na inkluzivnije prikaze muške ljepote u reklamama.The concept of beauty is nearly impossible to define universally. However, different communities have had varying ideas of masculine beauty throughout history, based on time, geography, and cultural context. Due to the obligatory marketing imposition of products on customers, the rise of the media enabled advertisers to reach a bigger audience while putting consumers in a potentially perilous position where they cannot discern actual from artificial requirements. Given the existing void in the Croatian academic arena, and the rising advertising pressure on the public, this thesis intends to shed light on the imposed ideal of male attractiveness in advertisements for perfumes and underwear. The primary purpose is to confirm the methods through which the enforced ideal of masculine beauty is represented, as well as to demystify the narrative elements as well as the advertising and media strategies that present unattainable goals to the public. By analysing the storylines, it has been determined that fragrances and underwear endow the heroes of the advertisements with mystical abilities, transforming them from their initial unfavourable situation to a state of well-being. Furthermore, the study has proven that well-defined Apollonian muscles play a significant role in portraying the ideal man. While the study's findings should not be extrapolated to a broader sample beyond the one studied, it serves to encourage media consumers to critically consider the media content and messages they are exposed to on a daily basis. The study may serve as a starting point for future research, as well as an incentive for advertisers to incorporate more inclusive images of male attractiveness in commercials