3 things Men want to have (according to men's magazines)

Looking at the articles we can find in the online versions of Men’s Magazines, we can interpret “how” men want to be, which is at the same time, what is expected and demanded from them all over the world. But the interesting factor in Men’s Magazines is that these seem to combine resourcefulness in advice (on as many subjects as imaginable) with the desire to entertain and encourage men towards ideal prototypes. Their main weapon is a style that appeals to them in a horizontal and amusing way.

We can draw conclusions from these magazines as to what are the desires and aims of men, even in the most informal and humorous of these. The most important of these aspirations can be summed in these concepts.

Allure.

Allure as the desire to become a man who can be attractive in what matters to his style, his manners, his magnetism, etc. Is the idea of having the certain “golden touch” or “aura” around oneself, becoming a person that is outstanding amongst others and admired, both by women and men.

In the case of men (as of course, this quality is desired by any person, sex aside) the desire to be alluring can be seen from the perspective of the “alpha male” role. This is the figure that embodies the leader, the role model, the player (when it comes to their success with women), the father figure and a long etc. Allure emanates then from the wholesome condition of the alpha male. Is the first instance of what a man wishes to project as his image.

In Men’s Magazines, entire sections are devoted to style, setting them completely aside from the usual stereotype that sees men as contemptuous of fashion. Notice how the first instance in the “construction” of the allure always passes through style (as of the choosing of clothes and accessories), but in men’s magazines it has moved to the complexities of every day relationships.

Success.

Success is deeply related to allure as the latter is a result of the former. But we must understand this success as something that is expected in all spheres of a man’s life, that is, in the public and the private sphere. Success and allure are part of an integral conception of what a man should have.

Success is (of course) among the qualities with which a man can set himself aside from others. But the conception of success men’s magazines encourage is one that goes a little bit further than plain material success – even more, there is an enormous deal of contempt for men who only have and show off their material success. The image of masculine success includes the relationship with women, the workplace, dominance of social situations, etc.

Yet the idea of success is still much more of a quantitative one. In the amount of beautiful women seduced, the amount of friends, the amount of goals reached the amount of travels. The list could go on. What we can see so far is an ideal conception of how a man should be nowadays: educated, charming, attractive and with a great taste.

This is the image of the perfect contemporary man. What is interesting is that this model of masculinity is constructed to fit within the new condition of gender equality that transformed the horizon of manhood, but it considers a man’s success as something he is entitled to. Of course that political correction towards the new conceptions of femininity will prevail, yet women are still regarded mostly as both an object and a challenge to masculinity, in the underlying text (usually covered under humor and sarcasm).

“Badassery”.

Badassery is the concept of being a tough man that can overcome any sort of obstacles, more precisely, referring to the men who can endure extremely difficult and deadly situations, where he has managed to become victorious using his wit, ability and strength. It is the defining word for every iconic male hero. The Internet is swarmed with articles and websites devoted to this figure.

The image of the badass man is perhaps one of the ultimate masculine aspirations and fantasies. The interesting thing is how the figure of the badass is deeply rooted on the most traditional conceptions of how a man should be.

A re-signification and a re-appreciation of classical masculinity are at play in here. Men want to revitalize the rogue and powerful man as a way to recover the values held by them which were ostracized and condemned with the irruption of the feminist and female empowerment movement in the public sphere.

The interesting fact is that any man can be considered badass as long as he accomplishes those challenges and tests. From a soldier in India to a french Bank robber, even moral judgment does not necessarily apply here.

What we can see here is an ever present desire or fantasy to become a rebellious and non conformist man. The fantasy to break up with the mold with which society turns the vigor of men into common and boring persons. Badassery is by far the least attainable of all these traits by the regular man, but on the many models of masculine Badassery present in fiction and in reality we can analyze some of the innermost thoughts of men, thoughts that remain despite how the world has changed.