How Men Are Being Viewed as Sex Objects

by R.C. Levela - Georgia Southern University

Are men really being viewed as sex objects in today's society? Throughout the past, the male has been viewed from the stand point of the protector and provider. While on the other hand, women have always been considered objects of admiration and under constant pressure to live up to the standards of society. This constant pressure is caused by the changing views of today's society as to what makes a person beautiful.

For some time now the majority of this pressure has been placed on the female gender. However, this is undergoing somewhat of a change as we move into the twenty-first century. As change occurs from one generation to the next, so do many of the views held by people in society. This change in personal preference by women towards men's physique has left a heavy burden on the shoulders of men everywhere.

More than twenty years ago the opinion of one hundred women was taken in New York City News paper, "The Village Voice." The poll was taken to find out what aspects women like most in a man. "The results revealed that surprisingly only two percent of women surveyed said that a big penis was their favorite attribute of a man. Only one percent said they preferred muscular chests and shoulders." (Cosmopolitan p.90) It appeared the brawny, well-hung type man did not fare well in women's opinions of the past. The women did admit that the butt was the most attractive part of a man's body.

However, according to a recent survey conducted in Germany the new generation of women have brought a new set of preferences to the table. Today, women's attention has shifted more toward penis size as opposed to generations of the past. Penis size made an incredible jump to third, falling behind broad shoulders and a muscular body (cosmopolitan p.90). This shows us that females of modern society are no different than females of the past. The only difference is that today's women are willing to admit exactly what they want.

Females of every species choose their mates in basically the same way, based on size, and strength. One reason for this choice, is that females need protection for herself as well as her young. Another reason may have something to do with the need for stability; many females like to know that there is nothing to worry about. They know the male is going to protect them. In ancient times, the bigger and stronger the man, the more authority he had, not much has changed since then.

Large men still occupy the top positions just as they did in the hunting and gathering era. From the beginning of time, the bigger men dominated the society through hunting and warrior abilities, to now when the bigger men still have the best jobs and make the most money. A survey conducted in the "Wall Street Journal" revealed that brokers six feet two inches and taller earned twelve and a half- percent more money than those men who were shorter than six feet. (Cosmopolitan p.90)

Although people in society change, societies views still have not. Typically, a man's style is constantly important.

The Chippendale type of male is too narcissistic for most women. The cuddly sort of man is more attractive and does not pressure the woman with any quest for perfection (Cosmopolitan p.92). On the other hand a lot of women choose a partner based on their own personality type. For instance, an athletic woman is more likely to choose an athletic man instead an over weight man. Where as, an over weight woman is more likely to choose an over weight man.

Basically, it all comes down to whether or not someone feels secure with his/her mate. Part of this security comes from not having to worry if you appear attractive to your mate. However, the majority of women today prefer a man who has a v-shaped figure accompanied by a muscular build. Recently a survey was conducted in Cosmopolitan Magazine about the things women find attractive about a man's body.

The results were as followed; 80 percent of women surveyed said they preferred imposing body portions, while 76 percent favored an athletic body. The survey went on to conclude that 72 percent of women liked broad shoulders, while 65 percent said they liked a large penis. Only 64 percent wanted muscular arms, with 60 percent favoring a small butt. Full hair gained 55 percent, as opposed to long hair, which only gained 41 percent. The survey went on to show that a sensual mouth gained 37 percent, narrow hips 34 percent and muscular legs 31 percent. (Cosmopolitan p90).

With women's views of what makes a man attractive obviously undergoing constant change, so are the means in which men are going to in order to meet these standards. One example of these means, is the growing popularity of steroid use. "Even though steroids are illegal and very dangerous many athletes as well as non-athletes insist on using them. "(The Body Health Resource Corp. Online)

Steroid abuse was once a topic that was only thought of when referring to sports that required a large amount of physical exertion like football or weight lifting. However, with the opinions of many women changing from the average built, regular guy, to the broad shouldered muscular guy the use of steroids has rapidly increased. Steroids are no longer being used to enhance athletic performance, but are also being used to improve self-image by altering one's physique.

With the constant pressure on men to meet these requirements, men of all ages have turned to using steroids. Now people such as law enforcement agents are using steroids in order to look big and tough in order to intimidate any would be criminals from committing crimes.

Another example of the recent steroid abuse can also be seen in pro wrestling. Ten years ago, professional wrestlers were generally average size men with a few exceptions of genetic freaks, such as Andre the Giant and Big John Stud. Today however, the vast majority of men participating in professional wrestling are using steroids. The reason for this is the change in societies view of what makes a man a dominant male. Fans no longer come to see the average man fight. Today's society wants to see men of great strength and physique go head to head to determine who is the best warrior.

Just like anything else rewarding the gains obtained while using steroids also comes with a high often fatal price to pay. Even though steroids can make you stronger and give you a more presentable appearance it can also cause serious medical problems. Steroid use can cause liver malfunction, such as cholestasis, jaundice, and even death. Steroids can also cause cardiovascular disease such as arteriosclerosis, kidney damage, prostate risk, increased blood pressure, infertility, and Gynecomstra or growth of breast tissue. Other minor side effects include acne, stomachache, testicle shrinkage, and minor hair loss (Mind and Muscle Power p.46).

Another drastic measure men are going to today in an attempt to keep up with the changing views of women, is dieting. In the past, diets were a trend generally associated with women who wanted to achieve the look required by society. Seeing that we are not all blessed with high metabolism and a lean body, many men have resorted to using diets to help them look better.

However, dieting can be very dangerous if not followed correctly. " There are many different types of weight loss programs available to us to choose from." (National Institute of Health Online) Choosing the right one is very important. Therefore someone interested in dieting should try to find out as much information about the program as possible before he or she decides what program to find out which program is the best for him or her.

One type of program is a do it yourself program. This type of program involves any effort to loose weight either on your own or with a group. Many times these types of programs use personal judgement, group support, and diet books for advice. Another type of program is a non- clinical program. These types of diets often use books or pamphlets that are prepared by health care providers.

Some of these programs often require participants to eat certain types of food and take recommended supplements.

Another type of program is a clinical program. This involves programs provided by health care services, hospitals, and likeness health professionals. These programs offer services such as nutrition education, medical care, behavior change therapy, and physical therapy. These programs may also offer low calorie diets that only allow 800 or fewer calories a day. These types of diets are highly recommended for overweight people.

Another type of dietary method is through the use of dietary pills. The use of these prescribed drugs should only be considered if your weight causes health problems. The reason is because little is known about the long-term effects of dietary pills.

Another method involves undergoing gastric surgery sometimes refereed to as bariatric surgery which causes weight loss by limiting the amount of food that the stomach can hold and also by causing food to by pass the intestines causing it to be poorly digested. However, the surgery is not always effective and may cause numerous follow up surgeries as well as gallstones. So before deciding on a weight loss program, remember to consult with a doctor to make sure the program is safe for you.

The constant change of the male image in society is also evident in advertising. In an article entitled, " Sexier and More Sensitive: The Changing Advertising Images of Males in the 1990's," found in the book Gender and Utopia in Advertising, author Sammy R. Danna wrote about how the male image is under going constant change.

In the 1980's men were portrayed as less competent when compared to women, often appearing in ads with bad breath, odor, unhealthy, and with bad eating habits. In the 1990's the major trend of men in advertising shifted toward the emergence of chisled, athletic-looking men. This new trend has caused a major effect in the overall image of males.

In a telephone interview on June 29, 1993, Warren Farrell noted "We have entered the era of the multi optioned women and the no option man, at least among women married to successful men" (Danna p.81). He also noted that since the 1980's men have been constantly bashed in advertisements, women's magazines, and on television. Farrell also noted: We have gone from father knows best to father molests(Danna p.81)."

In the 90's men were still being portrayed negatively when compared to women. For example, when placed in ads men were shown as inferior and unknowledgeable. However, the most recent coming out of men as sexy sensitive and seductive is a result of the changing views towards men today. Men are now being placed along women as equals in advertisements as well as becoming more accepted in nude photography.

The 1990's saw a change of hot young muscular bodies to sell products. Boyes cited "with the spotlight on the body, the standard for male beauty is pretty stringent: well-defined chests, a wash board stomach, a strong jawbone, along side an undeniable something extra" (Danna p.81). Times have changed from the days when men were looked at as nothing more than a source of income. Now men are becoming an appreciated gender on today's society.

The 1980's saw male images go from authoritative to indecisive and the 1990's saw men portrayed as sex objects. This society is no longer impressed by having money and power, but you have to look good too.

Over the past few years, society has shaped my opinions towards the things women find attractive in a man. I have often been curious as to what it is women want in a man, but I have never really stressed about it much, until I came to college. With the level of competition for finding a mate increasing, so has the standards in which the mates were evaluated.

My past beliefs were that things such as chest size and a thin waste line did not make a big difference. However, since coming to college I have encountered a totally different set of beliefs. Women of today are not interested in the average Joe anymore. They want a handsome, well defined, muscular man who will satisfy they're every need. I had no problem with meeting the handsome requirement, but getting incredibly muscular would be a challenge. Since I am only a mere one-hundred and seventy pounds, being big seemed genetically impossible without the use of steroids. This is an alternate route in which I chose not to pursue.

Instead, I went for the ripped, well-defined look. As easy as it may sound, achieving this image would not be an easy task. I had to undergo a strict dietary routine where I was only allowed certain foods in certain quantities, as well as a vigorous daily workout routine. By doing these things as well as picking up a few helpful tips here and there I found that my new beliefs were proving to be true that women really did prefer the stud type of man as opposed to the average guy.