Masculinity and male gender identity in advertising

This is a research paper by a journalism student at Stellenbosch University. The essay offers a critical discussion of masculinity and male gender identity in South African advertising. This is done by, firstly, looking at how masculinity or – more correctly – masculinities are defined and understood. Secondly, this essay looks at how these ideas of masculinity are portrayed in advertisements. This discussion is situated within the ambit of media literacy. Potter defines “media literacy” as “a perspective from which we expose ourselves to the media and interpret the meanings of the messages we encounter” (1998: 5). Because the media largely construct our ideas of reality, we – as media consumers – need to be able to understand these messages so as not to develop “faulty beliefs” of the world (Potter, 1998: 38).

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