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Academic sociology identifies a dominant form of masculinity said to be the measure by which all men are judged. Called hegemonic or patriachal masculinity, it is seen as a form of masculinity with personal and social dimensions. In similar fashion, popular writings identify the traditional male heroic image as the cultural model of masculinity. This study explores the impact of such a dominant model of masculinity as factors in how boys and young males learn to be a man. The research looks at the lives of 13 males aged in their early 20s and around 40 years of age, utilising life-course theory and a social-psychological perspective. It compares and contrasts the experiences and perceptions of these young and mid-life males, with regard to the dominant social model of masculinity. The study seeks to assess the significance of the dominant cultural model of masculinity, as a model for what it means to be a man, for males at different stages of their life course. The dominant model of masculinity appears as a rather one dimensional model, a mainly tough, brave and physical image. During adolescence popular culture was the major influence upon their ideas and perceptions of masculinity. This influence came via their interest and participation in sport, the masculine cultural ideal enforced by their peers, and popular media images. the traditional model of masculinity can be seen to be a heroic form of masculinity with emphasis upon power, competition, success and glory. Traditional or patriarchal masculinity, called more simply heroic masculinity, emerges as a potent influence for both the young and mid-life males in terms of values, behaviours and practice. Traditional masculinity emerges as an influence they barely recognise; and possibly a factor in the limited emotional repertoire and guardedness that mid-life males exhibit. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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The adverse effect of the exposure to images of attractive females on women's body image and mood has been well-documented in studies conducted in various western and westernized nations. However, research designed to determine the effect of exposure to attractive female images on men has been rather neglected. Past findings indicate that after being exposed to exceptionally attractive female images, males report less satisfaction for a current relationship, rate average-looking females as less attractive, and express less affection for their significant other compared to those men exposed to control images. It is currently not known, however, whether a psychoeducational intervention might prevent the negative media exposure effect. Additionally, it is not known if the exposure effect might be moderated by dispositional characteristics of the participant. This study was designed to determine if a psychoeducational manipulation consisting of information regarding the unrealistic appearance standards currently required of women would mitigate the ratings men give of average-looking women following exposure to attractive images. Additionally, two dispositional measures were included (appearance-schematicity and female-ideal internalization) in order to evaluate whether these trait levels would moderate the effects of the exposure manipulation.the participants were 159 male undergraduate students between 18 and 30 years of age. The majority (57%) of them were Caucasian, followed by 19% who were Hispanic/Latino and 11% who were African-American. Their mean age was 19.80 (SD = 2.06) and mean BMI was 24.90 (SD = 4.20). Most of them (42%) were not seeing anyone currently, whereas 39% of them were in a committed relationship. The findings partially supported the hypotheses. The males who were exposed to the attractive female images evaluated average females less physically attractive than those exposed to a control condition (inanimate objects); however, the psychoeducation did not reduce the adverse exposure effect. Instead, the combination of neutral audio-information and control exposure condition resulted in the most favorable ratings of average females. Regarding dispositional characteristics, female-ideal internalization was associated with the loss of interest in dating average females and the overestimation of a current partner's weight after the experiment. The limitations and implications of the study findings are discussed.

This research project explores how we can apply Emerging Design Landscapes such as Critical Design and Collective Creativity, in combination with traditional fields of visual communication to address societal challenges in cooperation with society. In particular, this paper aims to question the visual representation of nuclear warfare, and how we could utilize Peircean Semiotics to better understand set representation. The design outcome is a critical board game that at its core aims to create a discussion around the visual representation of nuclear warfare today and act as a learning platform that would help its user better understand the practice of semiosis.

Body objectification theories propose that humans have an innate desire to compare themselves with others. When self-objectification is influenced by media exposure to idealized body images, results may be unrealistic self-perceptions and increased risk of depression, eating pathology, and overexercising. Although considerable work has been done to study these processes among women, much less is known about effects of media exposure on adult men. In response to this gap, this quantitative research study examined effects of exposure to an idealized man's body image on men observers' body dissatisfaction and related behaviors. A convenience sample of 119 freshman and sophomore community college men ranging in ages 18 to 29 was assigned to 1 of 2 conditions where they were exposed to images of male models with idealized bodies or to a neutral landscape image (independent variable). They completed questions to assess their body dissatisfaction, drive for muscularity, disordered eating, and depression. BMI and workout frequency also were assessed as covariates. It was predicted that body dissatisfaction, drive for muscularity, disordered eating, and depression scores would be higher for the group exposed to the idealized body images, as compared with neutral images. The research hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA analyses. No statistically significant between-group differences were found for any of the dependent variables. Design limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed. This study has social significance as it helps to keep the focus of researchers and mental health providers on media exposure as a risk factor among males for negative body image and related behaviors.

In my work I map the transformation of gender through media editorial in the journal Vlasta topics in 1991 and 2010 and how tthe communist regime influenced the thematic transformation of magazine in Czechoslovakia. In my work I also examine whether Vlasta magazine in 1991, presents a feminist ideas that have a negative connotation, as Osvaldová mentioned. The work is divided into three basic sections of theoretical, methodological and analytical. The theoretical part describes the current scientific discourse and puts the work in a social media context. This section presents the main concepts such as feminism, gender, gender stereotypes and patriarchy. It also mentions the importance of media and women's magazines for the female audience and the transformation of women's role in society before 1989 and after. In the methodological part, through open and axial coding I examine media content. In my research, I identify and describe significant editorial issues with which woman is associated in Vlasta magazine in 1991 and in 2010. Furthermore, using content analysis, I compare the contents of the magazine Vlasta 1991 and 2010 in terms of private and public spheres. Data are analysed by methods of the grounded theory, as described by Strauss and Corbin. The data from the content analysis shows the...

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Unmasking the heroes: sources of power in Afrikaner mythologising is a personal, visual and theoretical exploration of the underlying sources of power which governed the development of Afrikaner nationalism, particularly the years spanning the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The practical work, a series of drawings and relief cut-outs, sets out to unmask the beliefs, customs, traditions and attitudes particular to Afrikaner culture. It does so through the processes of deconstruction and reconstruction of selected mass mediated images whereby different symbolic paradigms are juxtaposed through the devices of collage and allegory to uncover layers of meaning. This art-making approach was informed by theoretical and visual research into the tradition of Western mythology, including related topics such as linguistics, psychology and sociology, Afrikaner history and historiography, and the mechanisms of contemporary cultural reproduction, particularly the South African mass media and fine arts. / History of Art and Fine Arts / M.A. (History of Art and Fine Arts)

Unmasking the heroes: sources of power in Afrikaner mythologising is a personal, visual and theoretical exploration of the underlying sources of power which governed the development of Afrikaner nationalism, particularly the years spanning the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The practical work, a series of drawings and relief cut-outs, sets out to unmask the beliefs, customs, traditions and attitudes particular to Afrikaner culture. It does so through the processes of deconstruction and reconstruction of selected mass mediated images whereby different symbolic paradigms are juxtaposed through the devices of collage and allegory to uncover layers of meaning. This art-making approach was informed by theoretical and visual research into the tradition of Western mythology, including related topics such as linguistics, psychology and sociology, Afrikaner history and historiography, and the mechanisms of contemporary cultural reproduction, particularly the South African mass media and fine arts. / History of Art and Fine Arts / M.A. (History of Art and Fine Arts)