Edward Martin

The current marketing of performance enhancing, body sculpting drugs in American popular print media is fraught with references to societal discourses around power, gender, and sexuality. Men's health and fitness magazines are becoming saturated with advertisements for products claiming to be able to give consumers spectacular trim and muscular bodies. With a new body, an attitude adjustment is also marketed, regarding both power relations with other men, and increased sexual attractiveness to women. Many ads for men emphasize dramatic growth of muscle mass, significant fat loss, increased sex drive, and improved physical performance with muscular male models, either alone or with attractive women they have attracted. Acetabolan III, a product of MuscleTech R&D, ran an ad on page 13 of the December 2003 issue of Exercise For Men Only promoting not only their product but also reinforcing notions of acceptable capitalist relations, ideal male body type, different types of male-male competition and male sexual attractiveness to women through the text and subtext contained within the page.

The graphic depicts a muscular, but not disproportionately so, man lifting forty pound dumbbells with the slight assistance of an attractive female spotter. The main text, highlighted in red to draw attention and evoke emotional overtones associated with aggression reads "You spend 40 hours a week working for someone else. Come gym time, show them who's really boss. Use ACETABOLAN III." A smaller paragraph¹ informs the reader that "Forty hours at work can put a lot of stress on a guy," and goes on to offer him aid in his "quest for a greater physique." It closes with the urging to "Take charge and be ahead of the rest by choosing this great testosterone support formula now!" A picture of the bottle graces lower corner of the page and screams out the claims that "Acetabolan III Increases Strength, Supports Testosterone, <and is> Scientifically Formulated." The intended message is clear: If a man takes Acetabolan III he will be able to physically dominate his peers from work, outperform his competitors in the gym, attain the physique he desires, and become attractive to women.

Several subtexts also emerge from the advertisement. Appearing as it does in a magazine titled Exercise For Men Only and assuming that it's reader can identify with a 40 hour work week and a regular intensive exercise routine, the target is men and, presumably, men who hold full time jobs and strive for a healthy body. The model is not so muscle-bound as to appear unattainable to an audience not completely invested in exercise/nutrition programs. In so doing the notion of the appropriateness and acceptability of capitalist relations is upheld as a societal norm but an underlying discontent with the power hierarchy is indicated. The subordinate financial position of the reader to his employer is reinforced while an alternative, physical continuum is indicated, within which the reader can surpass his fiscal master. The individual's body itself becomes the focus of power, rather than the individual's position within the hierarchy of the workplace setting. At the same time the target reader is encouraged to dominate in the physical arena, his dependence on and subordination to someone in an employer/employee relationship is tacitly reinforced.

The theme of direct male-male competition is also raised. By exhorting the reader to "Take charge and be ahead of the rest" by buying their product, the advertisers are implying that the reader is competing with a group of other men. What exactly is it they are competing for? It would seem that the development of a muscular body is the battlefield, but what are the spoils? While financial position seems to have been ruled out by the reference to accepting a 40 hour work week, the trim, attractive spotter gives us a not so subtle clue as to the positive outcome of attaining a desirable body. The is posed in revealing shorts and a tank top, smiling, and carefully supporting the bare-chested lifter's straining arms, keeping vigilant watch over his equilibrium while his eyes focus straight ahead. It is perceived that she values his commitment to his body more than his achievements at work, and will support it any way she can. The take home message is: "Working men with cut, toned, muscular bodies are more attractive to women than men who are not able to dictate their body's form. Acetabolan III can help you acheive these results. Buy Acetabolan III." In defining their bodies, men are also thus able to define their sexuality, both in terms of attractiveness to women and in power relations to other men.

Note

1.         Forty hours at work can put a lot of stress on a guy. That's why, when the tie comes off and you've stepped into the guy, there's no taking heat from anybody else. It's just you, your weights, and your quest for a greater physique. And in this quest, don't forget about the all-new ACETABOLAN III - a cutting-edge formula that's designed to help you achieve increased strength and support testosterone when added to your diet and intense training plan. And that's not all - expect to support muscle recovery, too! Why wait to get your hands on the new ACETABOLAN III? Take charge and be ahead of the rest by choosing this great testosterone support formula now.

Bibliography

1. Exercise For Men Only: "The Best of Abdominals. In pursuit of a perfect midsection." December 2003. Chelo Publishing, Inc. New York, NY.