Masculine or Metrosexual##x003F; The Critical Perspectives on the Media Display of Male Athletes

Abstract

The critical feminist perspective provides understanding of the female-centered viewpoint to explore the media display of male athletes. By understanding the different gender perspectives on the media display, this study explores how female athletes interpret the media images of male sports celebrities in the mainstream magazines. This study further investigates the gendered sexualization in the media representation of athletes. A photo interviewing with sixteen female athletes conducted to explore the male athletes’ media display in the men’s lifestyle magazines. Findings suggest that three different men’s lifestyle magazines represent different forms of masculinities depend on the purpose and target audiences, although hegemonic masculinity is woven throughout all magazines. Female athletes immediately recognized the differences in the sexualization of male bodies by comparing with female athletes in a similar type of magazines such as Fitness and ESPN The magazine’s body issue. This study provided rich insights into how female athletes think about different types of masculinities and the gendered sexualization in a similar type of media outlet.