In the context of globalization, commercialization, and the increasing presence of Western and Japanese male images in Chinese society, this study is an attempt to examine how local and global force interact and how masculinities are constructed in men's magazines in Taiwan. Methodologically, this study sees in-depth interviews, content analysis, and semiotic analysis as complementary methods in the study of construction of masculinity in Taiwan. Results of the interviews showed that multiple types of masculinity exist in Taiwan and traditional Chinese masculinity has evolved and changed in the contemporary Taiwanese society. Based on the male images (N=1,284) from a stratified sample of four months in 2009 in four men's magazines, results of the study showed that editorials and male images in Western and hybrid men's magazines were also different from those in the local men's magazine. Close examination of individual advertisements form semiotic analysis showed that advertisers try to relate muscle building to Wu masculinity; athleticism, male bonding, feminine masculinity are promoted by advertisers; metrosexuality seems the ideal masculinity in Taiwanese society. In conclusion, the study suggested that (1) international men's magazines, either from the West or Japan, can be seen as culture hybrid to construct masculinity in their contents. Although international men's magazines are all hybrid, hybridity in men's magazines that are from countries that are geographically close are much influential than hybrid magazines from geographically far away; (2) the Chinese masculinity should not be labeled as feminine masculinity because it is ordinary manhood from the Chinese Wen tradition.

New Historicist scholarship has left a major impact on the study of mid-19th century notions of gender and nationhood. It has effectively challenged an all but consensual reliance on the paradigm of separate spheres as appropriate interpretive framework for this pivotal period in US history—a period in which the geographical as well as discursive boundaries of the nation were subject to intense debate and conflict. ...

New Historicist scholarship has left a major impact on the study of mid-19th century notions of gender and nationhood. It has effectively challenged an all but consensual reliance on the paradigm of separate spheres as appropriate interpretive framework for this pivotal period in US history—a period in which the geographical as well as discursive boundaries of the nation were subject to intense debate and conflict. ...

I denna uppsats analyseras de manliga huvudkaraktärerna i dramaserierna Skam (2016) och Normala människor (2020) med syfte att undersöka om det finns tendenser för en ny mansbild i media. För att undersöka detta användes teoretiska perspektiv som representation, stereotyper, genus, heteronormativitet och hegemonisk maskulinitet. Ett analysschema skapades utifrån hegemonisk maskulinitet och forskning kring en ny mansbild i media. För att analysera materialet användes kvalitativ innehållsanalys i form av semiotik som metod. Resultatet visade att den manliga huvudkaraktären från Skam upprätthöll fler karaktärsdrag från den hegemoniska maskuliniteten jämfört med den manliga huvudkaraktären från Normala människor. Karaktären från Normala människor uppvisade fler tendenser från en ny mansbild. / In this essay, we analyze the male main characters in the drama series Skam (2016) and Normal People (2020) with the aim of examining whether there are tendencies for a new male image in the media. To investigate this, theoretical perspectives such as representation, stereotypes, gender, heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity were used. An analysis scheme was created based on hegemonic masculinity and research on a new male image in the media. To analyze the material, qualitative content analysis in the form of semiotics was used as a method. The results showed that the male main character from Skam maintained more character traits from the hegemonic masculinity compared to the male main character from Normal people. The character from Normal people showed more tendencies from a new male image.