Stylish Hard Bodies: Branded Masculinity in Men's Health Magazine

Abstract

This article examines a postmodern construct of masculinity in which male identity is based on consumption, a traditional role for women, rather than production. Data for this qualitative content analysis were drawn from a sample of Men's Health magazine. Analysis of the front covers, stories and features, an advice column, and advertisements reveals a construct that I identify as “branded masculinity.” Branded masculinity is rooted in consumer capitalism wherein corporate profit can be enhanced by generating insecurity about one's body and one's consumer choices and then offering a solution through a particular corporate brand. The form of branded masculinity found in Men's Health constructs muscles combined with a fashion sense and the appearance of financial success as the necessary characteristics for a real man today.