Blog Post 15: Reflections

Reflections:
Directions: Please answer all the the questions below in a post on your blog, and be sure to label this post as Blog Post 15.

1) What was the one assignment that was fun to do and why?
My favortie assignments where the in-class debate and of course I liked it because I was on the team that won. I also liked the "worst date" assignment because it allowed us to work as a class together.

2) What was the one assignment that made you learn something about something? What was that "something" you learned?
I think it was all the assignments to be honest, it was the theme about masculinity that made me learn so much about. Ive learned so many different concepts and ideas behind mens masculinity and how men are viewed by society in so many different ways.

3) What was the one assignment that you did not care for? why?
I didnt care for some things that came across repetitive, liek annotated bibliographies and outlines...but mayeb it was a good thign voerall for peoplew ho really needed help and direction.


4) Do you think, overall, Blogger was a useful tool for this class? In what ways?
Yes, It helped to amke us organized, i think it allowed us to be more open as a class unit, we got to see eachothers work and having a class blog that was very well taken care of by Miss B was very very helpful.

5.) Describe one kind of assignment or task that we did NOT do that you either did on your own (say, customizing your blog, adding gadgets), OR an assignment you would have liked to have done, or a TYPE of assignment you would have liked to have done more of?
Personalizing the blog was a big highlight for me, making some type of amsculien inspired theme for each blog could be really cool. Maybe making the class more designed for classmates to interact through blogger more.

Research Paper 2: Final Draft

Jason Croft
Professor Magdalena Bogacka
English 101.0800
December 10, 2010

The Modeling of Masculinity

            If you had to place a bet on a fight between the male models of Calvin Klein versus the male models of Hugo Boss, I’m guessing you’d be going with the models of Hugo Boss. Today, ads create specific imagery to display certain types of masculinity to sell products and as argued by Susan Bordo’s chapter "beauty (re) discovers the male body", these images give birth to new trends/types of masculinities amongst men in society. David Coad’s book The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality, and Sport, and a piece by Rosalind Gill called "Body Talk: Men in the Spotlight" also help to provide support and evidence about ads and there connection to new trends/types of masculinity. To introduce you to the concept I will first discuss 3 types of representation of men’s masculinity provided by Bordo’s reading, so you have a understanding of the different type of modeling that takes place in advertisements. After, I will then connect the different types of modeling discussed by Bordo to the new type of masculinity these ads have helped to give birth to, as evidence that this concept is a reality and does take place. Lastly, I will connect the different types of modeling and the masculinities that are being created and illustrated to the brands that these ads are created for, drawing that point back to its creators. If your still thinking about the odds of that bet I mentioned earlier, maybe reading what Bordo had to say will help you understand why Hugo Boss models would beat the crap out the Calvin Klein models.

            Looking at different advertisements from different brands you can notice that there are differences between the models and how they model the brands product. Bordo, discuss that there are three specific types of male modeling that advertisers use to display products to create a certain kind of image, thus recreating masculinities. The three types of male modeling poses Bordo discuss are "I am a rock"(186), "Face-off"(188), and "the lean"(188). "Rock" focuses more on traditional views of masculinity, displaying this very physically fit strong man that comes off as intimidating, very self-confident, and is normally standing upright towards you. "Face-off" describes a type of modeling where the model pose is staring at the viewer creating a stare contest that he cannot loose, letting you know he’s watching you watch him and you will give in first. "The lean" focuses on more non-traditional forms of masculinity where the male looks younger, sometimes feminine, is usually slouching or looking away allowing you to look at him without a fight and provides a more alluring look giving the viewer thoughts of dominating him. These different types of modeling help create concepts for different types of masculinities that some men are replicating in their everyday lives, but all these masculinities were seen in society already individually being portrayed by everyday men, but time has started to change things. Today, advertisers are combining these different forms of modeling, creating new images and concepts, thus giving birth to new kinds of masculinity.

            Metrosexuality seems to be the new leading type of masculinity dominating the world today. The combination of those three different kinds of modeling and other factors have helped to create this new masculinity which describes straight men, who take pride in their appearance, and use money to buy a variety of products to better their appearance and recreate the images and masculinities of the advertisements. In Gill’s piece she discusses how men now, are looking for ways to individualize themselves as men (Session1). The masculinities created by ads are giving men room to find ways to be individually different in appearance and masculinity by providing different variations and fewer rules on how a man can appear and represent himself. A man can now choose to be "rock", "face-off, and "the lean" at the same time and vary which ones he represents the most or least, allowing him to be an individual but still be masculine and in most cases today that masculinity is metrosexuality. Advertisers for various brands have put together these images and help the creation of these ads but it was the brand they advertise for that provided the fundamental foundations and vision.

            As described in the chapter of Coad’s book titled "Ralph Lauren and His Models" he talks about how Ralph Lauren used major sports athletes to model his clothing to give American men a mental permission to wear his clothing because their favorite athletes were not only wearing it, but were taking an interest in fashion and their overall appearance (43). The designers of brands like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Hugo Boss at one time would’ve of had to rely on women to purchase clothing for men as Gill describes in "Session 2" of her piece, but because of marketing strategies like the one used by Ralph Lauren men now shop for themselves in hopes of establishing their identity and thus their masculinity. The brands are marketed differently and used the specific types of modeling mentioned by Bordo or combinations of them in an effort to create an identity a man can identify with and recreate in his own life. So in essence the brands create the foundation and the dream, and then the models and advertisements bring them to life for men to see.

            Now, back to that bet do you now agree that Hugo Boss male models would dominate the Calvin Klein male models in a fight? The Hugo Boss Models represent that tougher edgy side of male masculinity, more so the traditional male in new age fashion. Whereas the Calvin Klein models represents the more passive calmer side of masculinity that is being displayed more as the masculinity taking over. So the tougher Hugo Boss Models would def have won the fight over the Calvin Klein models. This bet goes back to this concept I’ve been discussing with support from Bordo, Coad, and Gill, who have helped to further the concept that ads do indeed help to give birth to new trends/types of masculinity thru the use of particular masculinities put an a image. Just by the discussion over the Hugo Boss models versus the Calvin Klein models we can identify specific types of masculine characteristics that are being displayed by each of the brands and men when purchasing these brands will recreate these images in real life, thus the giving birth of new trends/types of masculinity based upon images of specific male characteristics provided by male advertisements.

Works Cited Page

Bordo, Susan. "beauty (re)discovers the male body" The Male Body: A New Look At Men In         Public And In Private  Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. New York, 1999. 168-225. Print.

Coad, David. "New York" The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality and Sport. NewYork:
            SUNY, 2008. 39-41. Print.   

Gill, Rosalind. "Rethinking Masculinity: Men and Their Bodies" The London School of      Economics and Political Science. Fathom. 2001.           http://www.fathom.com/course/21701720/session2.html Nov 26 2010.

Research Paper 2: Part 3: First Draft

Jason Croft

Professor Magdalena Bogacka

English 101.0800

November 28, 2010

The Modeling of Masculinity

            If you had to place a bet on a fight between the male models of Calvin Klein versus the male models of Hugo Boss, I’m guessing you’d be going with the models of Hugo Boss. Today, ads create particular images of masculinity to sell products and these images give birth to new trends/types of masculinities. Susan Bordo’s chapter “beauty (re) discovers the male body”, David Coad’s book The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality, and Sport, and a piece by Rosalind Gill called “Body Talk: Men in the Spotlight” all help to provide support and evidence about ads and there connection to new trends/types of masculinity. To introduced you to the concept I will first discuss 3 types of representation of men’s masculinity provided by Bordo’s reading, so you have a understanding of the different type of modeling that takes place in advertisements. After, I will then connect the different types of modeling discussed by Bordo to the new type of masculinity these ads have helped to give birth to, as evidence that this concept is a reality and does take place. Lastly, I will connect the different types of modeling and the masculinities that are being created and illustrated to the brands that these ads are created for, drawing that point back to its creators. If you still thinking about the odds of that bet I mentioned earlier, maybe reading what Bordo had to say will help you understand why Hugo Boss models would be the crap out the Calvin Klein models.

            As you look at different advertisements from different brands you can definitely notice that there are some very noticeable difference between the models and how they model the brands product. Bordo discuss that there are three specific types of male modeling that advertisers use to display products to create a certain kind of image, thus recreating masculinities. The three types of male modeling Bordo discusses are “I am a rock”(186), “Face-off”(188), and “the lean”(188). “I am a rock”(186) focuses more on traditional views of masculinity, displaying this very physically fit strong man that comes off as intimidating, very self-confident, and is normally standing upright towards you. “Face-off”(188) describes a type of modeling where the man is staring at you creating a stare contest that he cannot loose, letting you know he’s watching you watch him and you will give in first. “The lean”(188) focuses on more non-traditional forms of masculinity where the male looks younger, sometimes feminine, is usually slouching or looking away allowing you to look at him without a fight and provides a more alluring look allowing you the thought of dominating him. These different types of modeling help create concepts for different types of masculinities that some men are replicating in their everyday lives, but all these masculinities were seen in society already. Today, advertisers are combining these different forms of modeling, creating new images and concepts, thus giving birth to new kinds of masculinity.

            Metrosexuality seems to be the new leading type of masculinity dominating the world today. The combination of those three different kinds of modeling and other factors have helped to create this new masculinity which describes straight men, who take pride in there appearance, and use money to buy a variety of products to better there appearance and recreate the images and masculinities of the advertisements. In Gill’s piece she discusses how men now, are looking for ways to individualize themselves as men(Session1). The masculinities created by ads are giving men room to find ways to be individually different in appearance and masculinity by providing different variations and fewer rules on how a man can appear and represent himself. A man can now choose to be “I am a rock”(186), “face-off”(188), and “the lean”(188) at the same time and vary which ones he represents the most or least, making him an individual but still a representation of masculinity and in most cases today that masculinity is metrosexuality. Advertisers for various brands have put together these images and help the creation of these ads but it was the brand they advertise for that provided the fundamental foundations and vision.

            As described in Coad’s book in part titled “Ralph Lauren and His Models”(43) he talks about how Ralph Lauren used major sports athletes to model his clothing to give American men a mental permission to wear his clothing because their favorite athletes were not only wearing it, but were taking an interest in fashion and their overall appearance. The designers of brands like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Hugo Boss at one time would of had to rely on women to purchase clothing for men as Gill describes in “Session 2” of her piece, but because of marketing strategies like the one used by Ralph Lauren men now shop for themselves in hopes of establishing there identity and thus there masculinity. The brands are marketed differently and using the specific types of modeling mentioned by Bordo or combinations of them in an effort to create an identity a man can identify with and recreate in his own life. So in essence the brands create the foundation and the dream, and then the models and advertisements bring them to life for us to see.

Now, back to that bet do you now agree that Hugo Boss male models would totally beat the crap out of the Calvin Klein male models? Bordo, Coad, and Gill have help to further the concept that ads do indeed help to give birth to new trends/types of masculinity thru the use of particular masculinities put an a image. The 3 types of modeling described by Bordo along with insight from Coad and Gill provides support that those models we see in ads help to shape the masculinities men act out through trying to recreate what they see. By buying the product advertised and overall replicating the persona of the model they see they therefore become the masculinity the brand wants associated with they brand. Metrosexuality has become the leading new form of masculinity given birth from the combination of different kinds of modeling and masculinities to create a new trend/type of masculinity allowing men to be the representation of masculinity they prefer to be.

Works Cited Page

Bordo, Susan. “beauty (re)discovers the male body” The Male Body: A New Look At Men

……….In Public And In PrivateFarrar, Straus, and Giroux. New York, 1999. 168-225. ……...Print

Coad, David. “New York” The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality and Sport. NewYork:             SUNY, 2008. 39-41. Print

Gill, Rosalind.

Research Paper 2: Part 2

Research Paper 2: Part 2: Annotated Bibliography and Preliminary Thesis

Thesis:
Ads create particular images of masculinity to sell products and their images give birth to new trends/types of masculinties?

Source1:
Coad, David. The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality and Sport. NewYork:      
                SUNY, 2008. Print
Summary: The Metrosexual is a book written by David Coad that discusses men and the connections between there sexuality and sports. It discusses in detail the creation of the term metrosexuality and how it relates to sports and fashion and the combining of all those factors.
Assessment:This source is backed by countless amounts of information provided from to many outside sources to began to name. Coad did a great deal of research on all the topics he wished to discuss in his book. He found history, facts, and opinions to create a book driven to inform the reader about men and their sexuality as it relates to multiple topics; such as fashion, sports, and everyday living.
Reflection: This source relates to the thesis I have created by providing supportive evidence to the idea that modeling indeed has contributed to the creation of different trends/types of masculinity. For example Coad on page 43 talks about how the major fashion label Ralph Lauren used famous athlethes to promote and model his clothing, giving men permission and reassurance that it was ok to partake in the fashion.

Source2:

Gill, Rosalind. "Rethinking Masculinity: Men and Their Bodies" The London School of Economics and Political Science. Fathom. 26 Nov 2010. http://www.fathom.com/course/21701720/session2.html
Summary: Gill's piece discusses men's masculinity and the men's body. She talks in detail about the progression of men's masculinity and how their bodies are viewed by society and the different factors that help this progression.
Assessment:This lecture by Gill is backed by sources and also includes information provided from interviews conducted on over a hundred men. Throughout her lecture she gives numerous amounts of information from sources, fact, and opinion.
Reflection: This lecture relates to my thesis because Gill talks about the progression of men's masculinity as it relates to fashion and many other parts of society. She discusses different influences on mens masculinity and mens masculinity influence on the world. Providing my research useful facts and opinions concerning myt opic about modeling creating new trends/types of masculinity.

Quick Write: Pregnant Men in Okada's "Future Plan #2" and Coltrane's "Fathering: Paradoxes, Contradicitons, and Dilemmas"

Quick Write: Pregnant Men in Okada's "Future Plan #2" and Coltrane's "Fathering: Paradoxes, Contradicitons, and Dilemmas"
 Look a the photograph which I've included in the beginning of the Coltrane's chapter, "Fathering: Paradoxes, Contradictions, and Dilemmas." How does the image relate to the paradoxes Coltrane discusses? Choose one paradox from Coltrane's chapter, and develop a paragraph which discusses how the photograph reflects that paradox. You paragraph must include MLA style in-text citations.

 Looking at the photo and then the reading by Coltrane where he discusses "The Emergence of Modern Fathering" (436) you can see a growing paradox between the photo of the tw preganat men and Coltrane's description of how man should have love and conern for there children without it matching the maternal bonds of mothers to their children. Coltrane writes about how it was ok for men to assit in rasing the children with the mother, but not  taking on the role, cause researchers feel that to much male involvment on a maternal level will cause gender confusion.(437) That creates the paradox between the photo and what Coltrane discusses; men should be maternal and caring but not like a women or like the two men in the photo.