Challenges for Men in the 21st Century

The growing phenomena of bigorexia for men is something which has arguably only ‘popped’ up on the scene in the last 5 years, however, it has sociologically speaking been around forever.

The changing paradigm surrounding masculinity has seen it go through many stages in a brief period. 

However, this clip once again from the BBC highlights an interesting slant on how masculinity in the 21st century has become obsessed with the notion of physical strength being the perfect representation of man.

This could be explored in a lesson through a juxtaposition to the 21st-century representation of women and exploring similarities and differences, as well the role of secondary socialisation in particular media in shaping representations. 

Also, the recent release of ‘Boys’ by Charli XCX would also serve as a good stimulus in exploring gender identity and masculinity, in particular, as often it is overlooked when teaching gender.

References:

• BBC Newsbeat Documentaries: Bigorexia - Never Big Enough

This article is credited to Sunny Gunessee, one of our Sociology contributors at tutor2u.