Jared Chomyc

Research Paper Outline

History 4250

Dr. Tracy Penny Light

30 January 2018

          The research question I am seeking to answer is how does the idea of the perfect male body change men’s view of their own personal body image. Furthermore, I hope to bridge the gap between what is physically attractive and what is physically and psychologically healthy for men as a whole. I intend to focus on how the culture around the male body has changed with the primary source of the 1977 film Pumping Iron. The second primary source I found was an interview on the CBC archives that featured a popular gym and interviewed some of the members. The third primary source is an interview in the CBC archives with Arnold Schwarzenegger from 1978 where he discusses his body image and his new book on the subject.

 The first article I found “Muscle, `Hard Men’ and `Iron’ Mike Tyson: Reflections on Desire, Anxiety and the Embodiment of Masculinity” shows how masculinity is quite often associated with muscle tone. The second article “Are There Body Image Differences Between Older Men and Women?” will help to show the difference between how men and women think about their bodies and also whether or not ideas of body image change with age. The third article “A Study of Appearance Anxiety in Young Men” will help to show how young men are dealing with these issues and also how it can be psychologically damaging. The fourth article “Body Image and Exercise: A Study of Relationships and Comparisons Between Physically Active Men and Women” will again highlight the importance of exercise to body image and also the gender differences.

The fifth article “The Embodiment of Masculinity” focuses on what it means to be attractive and aesthetically pleasing and how it has shifted from a concern for women into a concern for both sexes. The sixth article “Body Image Attitudes: What Difference Does Gender Make?” provides more evidence for the fact that both men and women are struggling with perceived notions of what their body should look like. In the seventh article “Marital Status, Marital Satisfaction, and Body Image Dissatisfaction” will provide evidence as to how body image ideas can affect both personal relationships as well as personal health. The eighth article “Evolving Ideals of Male Body Image as Seen Through Action Toys” helps develop the theory that young boys are being influenced about how their body should look based on the toys that they are playing with. The ninth article “Effects of Body Image on Dieting, Exercise, and Anabolic Steroid Use in Adolescent Males” will help to prove how young men are looking towards performance enhancing drugs to meet their ideal body image. The tenth article “Eating Disturbance, Body Image Dissatisfaction, and Reasons for Exercising: Gender Differences and Correlational Findings” will help to string together the idea of eating, gender and exercise in one article. The eleventh and final article “Marketing muscular masculinity in Arnold: the education of a bodybuilder” shows how Arnold’s book changed the landscape of male body image and marketing.

Bibliography

Boyle, Ellexis. “Marketing muscular masculinity in Arnold: the education of a bodybuilder.” Journal of Gender Studies 19, no.2 (2010): 153-166.

Davis, Caroline, Howard Brewer, and Marc Weinstein. “A Study of Appearance Anxiety in Young Men.” Social Behavior and Personality 21, no.1 (1993): 63-74.

Davis, Caroline and Michael Cowles. “Body Image and Exercise: A Study of Relationships and Comparisons Between Physically Active Men and Women.” Sex Roles 25, no.1 (1991): 33-44.

Drewnowski, Adam, Candace L. Kurth, and Dean D. Krahn. “Effects of Body Image on Dieting, Exercise, and Anabolic Steroid Use in Adolescent Males.” International Journal of Eating Disorders 17, no.4 (1995): 381-386.

Friedman, Michael A., Amy E. Dixon, Kelly D. Brownell, Mark A. Whisman, and Denise E. Wilfley. “Marital Status, Marital Satisfaction, and Body Image Dissatisfaction.” International Journal of Eating Disorders 26 (1999): 81-85.

Gzowki, Peter. “Arnold Schwarzenegger, from muscles to movies.” March 27, 1978. CBC Digital Archives, 15:52. http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/arnold-schwarzenegger-frommuscles-to-movies.

Jefferson, Tony. “Muscle, `Hard Men’ and `Iron’ Mike Tyson: Reflections on Desire, Anxiety and the Embodiment of Masculinity.” Body and Society 4, no.1 (1998): 77-98.

Jellini, Linda M. “Are There Body Image Differences Between Older Men and Women?” Western Journal of Nursing Research 15, no.3 (1993): 327-339.

Mansbridge, Peter. “Fitness Craze Sweeps the Nation” Feb.25, 1984. CBC Digital Archives, 2:07. http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/fitness-craze-sweeps-the-nation.

McDonald, Karen, and J. Kevin Thompson. “Eating Disturbance, Body Image Dissatisfaction, and Reasons for Exercising: Gender Differences and Correlational Findings.” International Journal of Eating Disorders 11, no.3 (1992): 289-292.

Mishkind, Marc E., Judith Rodin, Lisa R. Silberstein and Ruth H. Striegel-Moore. “The Embodiment of Masculinity.” American Behavioral Scientist 29, no.5 (1986): 545-562.

Muth, Jennifer L. and Thomas F. Cash. “Body Image Attitudes: What Difference Does Gender Make?” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 27, no.16 (1997): 1438-1452.

Pope Jr., Harrison G., Roberto Olivardia, Amanda Gruber, and John Borowiecki. “Evolving Ideals of Male Body Image as Seen Through Action Toys.” International Journal of Eating Disorders 26 (1999): 65-72.

Schwarzenegger, Arnold. Disc 1, Pumping Iron, DVD. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore. Hollywood, CA: Cinema 5, 1977.

Statement of Process

  1. The topic of men’s health and in particular their obsession with their body image has always fascinated me. I was born in 1994 and much of the research about this subject was done in the 90’s so I could be subconsciously drawn to this subject. Regardless of how I became interested in this subject it is very important to me. For two reasons, one is because I have my own issues with my body and what I would like to look like. The second reason is that I think it is important to understand why men have this view of their bodies and why it leads to unhealthy behaviour in some cases. Even in today’s society there is still the idea that body image is a uniquely feminine problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since the idea came about that in order to be masculine one had to be muscular and fit, men have become obsessed with chasing this ideal. This often leads to unhealthy activity such as: steroid use, unhealthy diets, and uneducated decisions. For these reasons, it is important to research how men are affected by the media’s portrayal of the perfect male body. Furthermore, the idea that men don’t care about how they look must be interrogated, because it can lead to denial and unhealthy behaviour.
  2. The sources I chose are all pertaining to the idea that men have been struggling with their body image for a long period of time. I was fascinated with the article that suggested that the shape of action figures could actually influence how a child thought a man should look like. Furthermore, the article by Drewnowski and his colleagues that shows that some men use steroids in order to fit into their ideal body image is crucial to my argument and it also could be a supporting argument as to why the film Pumping Iron had such long lasting effects. There are also quite a few article discussing the difference between how each sex view their body, such as the Muth, McDonald and Jennini articles highlight. Furthermore, the Friedman article points to how a obsession with body image can lead to issues in the personal lives of both men and women. The Davis articles and the Jefferson article will illustrate how the perfect body image has made it’s way to the forefront of men’s mind and popular culture. The Mishkind article talks about masculinity and how it relates to body image. The Boyle article speaks to how Arnold Schwarzenegger has influenced male marketing and male body image. I believe all these articles are valuable to show how the idea of male body image is very important to society. They are also different enough to provide insight into different aspects on how body image can affect men’s lives. The primary sources which include, the film and the two interviews are valuable because they show the type of thinking that was prevalent at the time and how it led to the issues that men have with their bodies, as is shown in the other secondary source articles I have chosen.
  3. I think before I began research on the subject of male body image, I assumed I was alone in my worries of my appearance. Or at the very least, that it was a minority of men who actually thought about this. I was surprised to learn that historians have been grappling with this idea for at least forty years. I reconsidered my notions that I was alone because the evidence points to the opposite. This revelation was extremely important to me because it helped to show that many men struggles with the same issues that I do. Furthermore, the fact that this subject is being studied, means that maybe in time men can talk more freely about how their body image affects them.
  4. I had a negative view of the past because I thought that people in the past ignored how negatively the idea of body image could impact men. The opposite turns out to be true. This subject has been studied for a long period of time and society is still wrestling with how to deal with it. I would still like to know what steps current society is taking to combat the idea that men don’t care about their bodies and how people can strive for a healthier idea of what the male body should look like and how to achieve that in a healthy way.
  5. Next time I will start my research a bit earlier and meet with the librarian earlier so that it is not so stressful trying to meet the deadline. Also, next time I may pick a subject that is easier to find sources on. That being said, I believe this research has pushed me to become a better student and to not give up even when the sources are difficult to find. Overall, I think this research will come together and lead to a well developed thesis.