ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the shift in the depiction of male bodies. For some analysts the representation of men as sexual objects in sites across mainstream popular culture represented nothing short of the fracturing of patriarchy, indeed of heteronormativity, and the binary of sexual difference itself. The chapter discusses two advertising campaigns, which seem to encode different meanings about masculinity from the earlier representations of muscular manhood. In particular it looks at images from Armani’s campaign featuring David Beckham, and Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue advertising campaign starring model David Gandy. In relation to display of the male body, Mulvey’s work is notable for its argument that men are bearers, not object, of the gaze, and for the suggestion that women are narratively punished for actively desiring men in the film. The broader cultural politics of race and diversity has also impacted the kinds of images of men on display.
