A 4 page argumentative essay that focuses on the fact that there is an increased demand by men for cosmetic surgery. The writer argues that there is a distinct sociological trend toward valuing male beauty and subjecting men to the same pressures experienced by women to meet unrealistic standards of beauty. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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"girls" for life and concentrating on always presenting a youthful appearance in order to remain attractive to the opposite sex. Men could age and presumably remain attractive as the principal
cultural focus on male attractiveness focus on their money-earning capacity, prestige and power. However, the "effort to look young and attractive is going beyond gender, as our culture becomes more
androgynous" (Fraser 77). Mens magazine used to simply feature scantily clad women perched incongruously on symbols of masculine virility, such as motorcycles or sports cars. Mens magazines kept their
articles practical and serviceable and left it to womens magazines to perpetuate guilt like an overly-involved mother, consisting harping at readers to lose weight, control their post-pregnancy sagging bellies and,
above-all, keep their men interested. This paradigm has changed as today popular mens magazines exhibit a plethora of "ads for plastic surgery and ab-tightening machines" (Fraser 77). With this change
in focus--if womens magazines can be taken as a cultural precedent--it "wont be long before men start taking their physical imperfections to heart" (Fraser 77). In fact, this trend
has already started as cosmetic surgery is already on the rise in the US. Getting a tummy tuck or an implant to enhance sagging pecs is being advertised as an
accessory that can make a man appear to be more "attractive powerful and masculine" (Fraser 77). Considering this new focus on cosmetic surgery and appearance, it seems inevitable that
"men will develop the kinds of body and appearance neuroses that many women have suffered from for years" (Fraser 77). To appreciate the degree to which the cultural paradigm
for male attractiveness has changed over the last several decades, consider the hero of icon of male virility from the first half of the twentieth century--actor John Wayne. In film