James Needham

Response Essay Beauty Rediscovers the Male Body

Susan Bordo was relaxing one morning, sipping on her cup of coffee while reading through The New York Times Magazine when she came across an image that probably changed her life. No this was not a picture of an orphan, or a don t drin! and dri"e# car crash photo, but it was surprisingly an image of a male body. $he man was partially nude, basically stripped down to his underwear in a pose that is designed to attract attention. $he image in the %al"in &lein ad shoc!ed Bordo in such a way that she completely lost her train of thought and e"en accidentally spilling her coffee on the side. She describes her first encounter with the male body# along with her opinion on other images and the way society is today in her essay Beauty Rediscovers the Male Body. $he first main idea Bordo brings up in her essay is the thought of the male figure on display. She first ta!es the %al"in &lein ad and analy'es it in e"ery way imaginable, loo!ing at his hair, muscles, and e"en his genitalia, which is commonly called a pri"ate part.# $his absolutely disgusted me( ) don t want to !now what she is loo!ing at in this picture, and ) ha"e no desire to hear her lustful and impure thoughts about this model. She next describes the "iew

point of a homosexual and how another male may lust after this ad, and how she has a woman crush on *nne +eche. ) cannot stand homosexuality, because ) belie"e it is sic!ening and unnatural, and worst of all, it is a sin against ,od. ,od created men to be attracted to women, and "ice "ersa, not the other way around. )f that was the case it would ha"e been *dam and Ste"e instead of *dam and E"e. Something ) did agree with on the other hand is how men are becoming more popular in ad"ertising and seducti"e imaging. )t is common in almost e"ery mo"ie that you will see a man with his shirt off or in this case an underwear ad with a man in a enticing pose. She describes that after the second world war, women portraying their body for ad"ertising, and as a business became super common. Sex sales# is a common logic behind the

James Needham

Response Essay Beauty Redisco"ers the -ale Body

dirty pictures that you began to see in multitude of places. Now we call it pornography, .both men and women/ and with the media we ha"e, it is absolutely limitless. Bordo shows the results of the reactions of men when seeing nude photos comparing them to women reactions of seeing the photos. $he results were 0uite different, ha"ing o"er four times as many men aroused by the pictures than women. $his shows why women ha"e usually been put on the porn pedestal because there is more of a mar!et for nude women. 1hat catches my eye is the true fact that she states in that men are commonly assessed by their achie"ement while women are usually being 2udged solely on appearance. $his is unfair to women because a woman can do a remar!able action, but may not be considered successful because her loo!s are not what society calls beautiful.# Now in the new liberal culture that is falling o"er *merica, men are beginning to be loo!ed at more li!e women, based on appearance. $he next main point she ma!es with her essay is the ga'e# that falls on the human being. ) belie"e the ga'e is a natural thing, ,od intended men to be attracted to women and women to men. But it s what happen after the ga'e that is most important. Bordo describes the ga'e as what happens to someone when they lay their eyes on someone who is beautiful, and they completely lose their train of thought. *fter this point is when the person has to ma!e a decision( do ) !eep loo!ing and thin!ing about what ) 2ust saw, or do ) mo"e on with life and return to reality. %hoosing to continue to linger the mind on that mental image ne"er results in anything positi"e. )t creates lustful thoughts, which can lead to wanting more, and it leads to an addiction in pornography, or other lustful sins. 3on t get me wrong, seeing a beautiful person .appropriately clothed/ and admiring their beauty is not a sin, nor is e"en maybe ga'ing a little, but when it ta!es o"er your mind and it becomes uncontrollable and the lust begins to set in, then there is a problem. $his is when the ga'e can ruin marriages, relationships, and li"es.

James Needham

Response Essay Beauty Rediscovers the Male Body

$he ga'e has a different effect on different people. -en usually stare at the pri"ate parts# and 2udge them to what they ha"e experienced in the past. 1omen on the other hand may loo! below the belt or at other physical appearances, but they are loo!ing for much more. $heir ga'e is loo!ing through the man, 2udging the way he is wal!ing, what he is wearing, his height and weight, and e"en his personality before the e"en spea! to him. Just li!e strait males and females ha"e a ga'e, homosexuals ha"e a ga'e too, except they are loo!ing at other people of the same sex. $he ga'e "aries from person to person( no two people ha"e the exact same strandards, but one has to be careful with the ga'e or it will get them into trouble. Bordo also describes the two types of men that she ga'es at in her images. $here are the roc!s and the leaners. $he roc!s are standing up strait with a firm loo! on their face. $hey usually ha"e on pants so the genetalia is not the target. Roc!s are muscular and tough, not is any way trying to be seducti"e. $hey stare into the camera as if they are trying to intimidate someone, which is called the 4ace56ff.# $his tells anyone loo!ing at the picture that ) am the man and ) am in control.# )n opposite to the roc!s are the leaners, men in the picture that are usually leaning up against the wall or are laying down. $hese images are usually more seducti"e with the main focus of sexual thoughts. $hese pictures show submission to the ga'er and that they can be ta!en bac! to the bedroom for the ultimate pleasure. $hese types of men are on opposite ends of the spectrum but, women li!e both !inds of images, both roc!s and leaners. *nother point that Bordo points out and ) agree with is the difference between men and women and their awareness to their appearance. 1omen are !nown for spending hours getting ready and loo!ing in the mirror while guys are in and out of the bathroom in a matter of minutes. $his shows how men and women are different in how they care for their appearance. Bordo states that men are usually obli"ious to how they loo! and if they are being attracti"e or not,

James Needham

Response Essay Beauty Redisco"ers the -ale Body

mainly because most men could really care less. 1omen on the other hand !now when they loo! good, and ha"e a sense of when they are being loo!ed at by others. $hat is one of the biggest difference between men and women. Bordo presents some "ery "alid points in her essay Beauty Rediscovers the Male Body. Some ) don t necessarily agree with but she was 0uite con"incing and e"en made me thin! about these things in a different way. She shows the change in *merican culture of how men are being loo!ed at in a sexual way li!e women ha"e been 2udged for years. *lso she spea!s about a part of e"eryone in the ga'e, and how it affects our li"es. She also discusses the difference between men and women in the way they act to the ga'e and how they appear to society. 6"erall this is a piece ) don t agree with but she has "alid points that are true and cause the mind to thin! again the sub2ect.