Page 11: ‘Supersized’ Male Icons

Muscular action figures and idealized male movies heroes make average men feel self-conscious.

From television to magazines and the internet, we are constantly bombarded with sleek, costly, and often unrealistic notions of beauty. Every year, we spend billions on products for our hair and skin, the latest fashions, new diets, and even surgical procedures in an effort to alter our physical appearance.

While many studies have shown how images of thin, beautiful models affect women’s self-esteem, Associate Professor of Psychology Stacey Tantleff-Dunn and graduate student Daniel Agliata are among the first to examine how “a culture of muscularity” affects the well-being of men.

Boys are exposed to the culture at an early age, when they play with muscular action figures, and male heroes in movies and video games often are ‘supersized,’ as are actors in many commercials for deodorant and exercising equipment.

“The level of muscularity and attractiveness that are idealized in the media often are not attainable for the average man,” Tantleff-Dunn said. “Men see more of a discrepancy between how they want to look, or think they need to look, and the image they see in the mirror. Such discrepancies can cause the dissatisfaction and low self-esteem that lead to extreme and often unhealthy actions, such as eating disorders, exercising too much, and steroid abuse.”

Nearly 160 male UCF students, around the age of 21, were divided into two groups for the study. Both groups watched an old episode of “Family Feud” hosted by Richard Dawson, but they saw different, modern commercials during the game show. One group saw ads that featured primarily muscular, young, and bare-chested men in commercials advertising products such as deodorant and cologne. The other group saw ads for financial, telephone, and automobile companies that mainly featured men ages 30 and older wearing business or casual clothes at home or in a business setting.

Students who saw the ads with muscular, bare-chested men reported feeling more depressed and less satisfied with their muscles, while the other students reported feeling much less depressed after watching the show.

More studies are needed to show how the “culture of muscularity” affects the moods, dieting, and workout habits of men, the researchers said.

Currently, Tantleff-Dunn and Agliata are developing better ways to measure men’s perceptions of their bodies. “The key will be to help people develop realistic expectations about their appearance, as well as the appearance of others, and avoid buying into ideals that are impossible or unhealthy to attain,” Tantleff-Dunn said.

Want to know more?
Psychology website: www.psych.ucf.edu
Stacey Tantleff-Dunn, sdunn@ucf.edu

QUEST 2005

DATE
Spring 2005

CONTACT
Sae Schatz
Arts & Sciences
Academic Promotions
407-823-5164
sae@cs.ucf.edu

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