Masculinity

In Lil Wayne’s album cover, he is shirtless and his body language demonstrates a “hard” persona. He is wearing baggy jeans, has money in his pocket, and an escalade in the background. He needs the money, car, and jewelry to demonstrate his power, his status. His gaze is diverted from the camera and mouth is rigid. He is exemplifying the idea that men need the things around them to define their masculinity. The media presents this idea that masculinity is defined by one’s surroundings. The status symbol of power is exemplified by his “bling”, money in his pocket, and the expensive car behind him. That is all that is shown in the image and that is portrayed to be the makeup of a man.
On the Esquire cover with Obama, notice the camera angle. It is looking up, which portrays Obama as an aggressor, someone with status, and someone with power. He is dressed in a suit and appears to have a professional occupation. His arms are crossed showing a powerful reservation. He is peering off into the distance. When men are shown on the covers of magazines, they are rarely objectified or scantily dressed. Obama is professional, powerful; he is a man.
On the cover of Sports Illustrated, we have LeBron James. We are shown his profile with his eyes closed, dressed in his uniform. He appears deep in concentration, completely aware. In the back of his neck, you can see a vein throbbing and his jaw is tight. He has tattoos on both arms. He gives off the impression of a warrior preparing for battle. To the left of him the text reads in white font “The Power of” then in black font “LeBron”. The only lettering on the page in black font is his name. He is meant to stand out; he is an independent individual. This emphasizes that a man should be like a warrior, be masculine like a warrior preparing for battle.
In the Armani underwear ad, we have David Beckham. His muscles are tensed, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth rigid. His facial expression exerts anger and intensity. The tattoos on his arms emphasize his warrior position. Again, the eyes are turned away from the camera. The image is shown objectively even when the only clothing is underwear. Strength and aggression, again, are the illustrators of man.
Lastly, in the Chocolate Axe commercial, the man is surrounded by women. In all Axe ads, women are pining over men. Men’s alpha male ego is fed by the amount of women that desire them. Men are once again defined by their surroundings rather than defining themselves.