ABSTRACT
Critics have complained for many years about how advertising portrays women in stereotypical ways, usually as moms or sex objects. Considerable research has shown that these stereotypical portrayals have real consequences for women, particularly girls who compare themselves with idealized images. This chapter explores another aspect of gendered advertising and examines how men are stereotyped differently than in the past. Stereotypes of men as tough, competent, and in control emerged in films and television programs, as well as in advertising. In recent years, images of the manly man, hero, breadwinner, and outdoorsman have been displaced by images of men as bumbling husbands and dumb dads. The usually humorous portrayals of men, particularly in home settings, show them as confused, incompetent, and in need of rescue by a calm and reasonable mom. The chapter explains how these portrayals may affect our beliefs about ourselves and sounds the alarm about “dumbing down” American males.
