ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the implications for a sociological understanding of the body, and the possibilities for further qualitative research into the formations of masculine embodiment. It provides some reflections on the role of qualitative methods in researching the body. There has always been a body of feminist thought that has come to similar conclusions as those on the political right, implying the existence of an inherent violence and destructiveness in men and in masculinity. In contrast to the body-politics of the gay movement, much feminist activism and theoretical work has tended to focus on the oppressive/regulatory aspects of women's embodiment under patriarchy. The 'lifestyle magazine' is used to denote a set of periodicals which embody and promote an ideal reader. Unlike women's magazines the cover star is a public person rather than a model. As the magazines' advertising prospectuses illustrate, and as economics dictate, they have to sell readers to advertisers and commodities to readers.
