Brewing controversy over Justin Bieber’s Calvin Klein ads has sparked much discussion?in social media. Which is the real Justin Bieber – the one with the huge muscles and noticeably large bulge inside those Calvin Klein boxer briefs, or the slightly smaller and less bulge-y Bieber?
Image via flikr by John_boi1
It’s a celebrity controversy that is not likely to have a definitive conclusion, but a more interesting way of approaching this debate?is to ask: Considering the controversial and common use of photoshopping and airbrushing for female models and celebrities, is this an?objectification of the male body? Is this just as harmful to men as it is to women? Does it set the same type of impossible standards for men as women, and does it lead to the same type of body dissatisfaction?
According to research, no.
According to the Social Issues Resource Center, the proliferation of images of the ideal male body does not seem to have the same negative effects on male body image as it does on female body image. Studies performed by the SIRC show that:
“Standards of beauty have in fact become harder and harder to attain, particularly for women. The current media ideal of thinness for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population…all research to date on body image shows that women are much more critical of their appearance than men ? much less likely to admire what they see in the mirror. Up to 8 out of 10 women will be dissatisfied with their reflection, and more than half may see a distorted image.”
It’s also interesting to note the ways in which male and female bodies are changed to meet these ideal standards. Men are photoshopped to appear stronger, larger, and more powerful. Hypermasculinity is the goal: big muscles, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, as well as an abnormally large penis. Masculinity is valued here, while femininity, or at least womanliness, is not the goal in photoshopping female bodies.
Images of women’s bodies are altered to make them smaller, weaker, and less powerful. All curves and evidence of womanhood are erased, making a feminine appearance less desirable and less valuable than an image of masculinity. Don’t get me wrong, images of women that appear too masculine often bring negative reaction and criticism as well. However, changing a full-grown woman’s body to that which appears to be much younger, smaller, and less powerful does not place femininity as the standard for women, it arrests femininity and says that women past a very young age are unable to meet standards.
Image via styleite.com
So if you find yourself in a discussion about whether or not the modeling industry is objectifying men in the same way by photoshopping Bieber to meet the standards, the answer may be yes. The consequences of that objectification, however, are not the same.
