Sublimation of Objectification is My Demonstration

When you think of the objectification of a sex, you typically think of female...right? I hadn't realized the pressures that men have on them to have a body that portrays their "level of masculinity". In the reading, "Men's Bodies: Listening to the Voices of Young Gay Men" the phenomena regarding how societies image of the ideal male body is one that portrays his masculinity. Masculinity, as it is defined in this reading, is thought of as being contingent upon a man's physical strength. The main issue discussed in this reading is where gay men fall in this masculine/feminine society.
Contrary to popular belief, Gay men consider themselves to be masculine in our categorizing-obsessed society. Although they do feel that one's masculinity should not be either present or not, but rather a scale or spectrum. Society portrays a gay man as a weak, feminine, flamboyant person.

 While there are many gay men who fit this image, there are those who still strive for the body of a masculine man - broad shoulders, big muscles, and rough-looking - for the purposes of "picking-up" other men. The way advertisements/tv shows/movies and other media outlets portray what a straight man and gay man should look like puts a lot of pressure on the gay man to either look womanly so he can be "picked-up" or look manly so he can do the "picking-up". These pressures do result in eating disorders.

The issue of male objectification is so easily overlooked because it isn't as prominent in our society as that of women. This is because those who most strongly suffer from the effects of male objectification are gay men, a small but marginalized group of men in our society. I have provided a music video by Jennifer Lopez that was created for the sole purpose of objectifying men. The male physique is the foundation this video was built on. In the beginning of the video J-Lo says men are never objectified and it's their turn to be sexualized. Which is a very ignorant assumption. Her video supports the idea that there is a ideal male body that is seen as the "most attractive" which in turn can result in gay men, who are more likely to have an eating disorder due to the fact that men within gay culture place an emphasis on physical attractiveness and are "like women...more likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies."

After many interviews with gay men, Drummond learned that many gay men find themselves conforming to the image of what a man is supposed to look like and the behavior that he is supposed to take part in when they are in the view of the general public. However, when among members of the gay society they will act and dress in a more outgoing and extroverted way. They feel they have to hide their homosexuality as to avoid being discriminated against. This is a perfect example of the idea that people don't have a set identity, and that their behaviors and the way they present themselves is contingent upon the social structure they are in and the people they are with. It is important to remember the all men are subject to scrutiny regarding their body image, however those more susceptible to the pressures society places on them are those who's "identity is...linked to the image that one portrays." Research has shown that these men are most commonly young gay men. This situation may seem negative but there is a light at the end of this microscope. They have become more aware of their surroundings and the way people perceive them. Marginalized groups are more likely to view the world through a sociological lens.