Project Director
Freeman, Jessica
Department Examiner
Davis, William
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
A body of recent studies suggest men are objectified in the media, as men report increasing levels of body dissatisfaction and potentially, an array of negative consequences in response. Western media images of men, exemplified through media such as advertisements, television, and social media promote a “drive for muscularity” with attention to the upper body and abdominal region. Societal standards and norms have a documented influence on self-concept, and the current study investigates explicitly which influences hold the greatest magnitude during the development of one’s self-perception. In the present thesis project, men aged 18-25 were interviewed to gauge their perspectives on male objectification, masculinity, self-esteem, and body ideals. Interview questions were generated after reviewing relevant secondary research and were designed to be open-ended to spark conversation and produce qualitative data. The interviews were audio-recorded and edited thematically into a series of podcasts. The resulting podcast series, “One of The Boys” aims to lay a foundation accessible for public discourse, examining how college-aged men are socialized to view their bodies, the way men perceive male objectification, and the future of body representation in the media. The project finds coherence with much previous male objectification research, elaborating upon these with individual episodes including the body and masculinity, media influences that impact the formation of male self-perception, and the complexity of male objectification itself.
IRB Number
16-170
Degree
B. A.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Date
5-2020
Subject
Body image in men; Objectification (Social psychology) in mass media
Discipline
Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Social Psychology
Document Type
Theses
Extent
ii, 33 leaves
DCMI Type
Text
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Recommended Citation
Thompson, Madelynne, "The effects of harmful male body representation: uncovered through the lens of podcasting" (2020). Honors Theses.
https://scholar.utc.edu/honors-theses/256
One_of_the_Boys_E02.mp3 (5785 kB)
One_of_the_Boys_E03.mp3 (6262 kB)
One_of_the_Boys_E04.mp3 (6974 kB)
Included in
Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Social Psychology Commons
Department
Dept. of Communication