Innocean and The 100% Project released the results of an 18-month research project that aimed to explore the representation of masculinity and masculine archetypes in the media.
The results were presented by Kat Stevenson and Lillian Starling on behalf of The 100% Project at Innocean Australia’s offices in Darlinghurst.
A panel discussion with Chris Allan, connections director of Lion, Nova 96.9 radio host Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, Stevenson and Starling, moderated by Innocean Australia CEO, Jasmin Bedir, followed.
The results showed that greater media consumption was associated with feeling increased pressure to conform to long-held male archetypes and five key themes emerged:
- Men aspire to be honourable and noble,
- Men are portrayed as unemotional in media and advertising,
- A desire to see normal men portrayed in media and advertising,
- A desire to see contemporary families depicted,
- Men are complex and dynamic.
Starling and Stevenson said that there was a “hegemonic” idea of masculinity in the media that revolved around “physical and intellectual prowess” as well as “sexual domination”.
“You’ve got to be action-oriented, emotionally tough, self reliant. It misses the nuance and complexity of what it means to be a man and a person,” said Stevenson.
They also found that three main archetypes emerged from the research: The Hero, The Provider the Hedonist. These were perhaps best embodied by the characters of Superman, Don Draper and Jay Gatsby, respectively.
They said that younger men were more likely to identify themselves with the Hedonist, while older men, particularly those with children would identify with the Provider.
“Perhaps most alarmingly in our findings, we saw that regardless of the archetype that men identified with, when they did identify with an archetype, they were more likely to endorse sexist attitudes,” said Starling.
The following panel discussion saw Fitzgerald, in particular, deliver emotional stories about his time in the AFL and his own father.
“Traditional versions of what it means to be a man and father are not really working for us men – they definitely don’t work for me,” said Fitzy post-event.
“Real masculinity for me is about being vulnerable, present and open. It’s about breaking through those dated stereotypes, so we can build healthier relationships with our partners, our kids and ourselves.”
“How the media portrays the ‘modern man’ simply has to evolve – stuff the stereotypes, times have changed,” added Allan.
“Brands and advertisers need to be willing to break the shackles of traditional masculine archetypes to deliver richer and more relevant expressions of men in the world today.”
“We believe that it is our responsibility to redefine aspirational culture for future generations,” added Bedir.
“With the current discourse around masculinity and DE&I, it is our job as an industry to ensure that media and marketing reflect the evolving role of masculinity in modern society, for the better. We strongly believe that Media and Marketing can shape the men of tomorrow by creating new, positive and aspirational archetypes that bring masculinity forward, not backwards.”
