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Overview
From the recent proliferation of men's lifestyle magazines to the rise of gender studies in academia, more and more men (and women) are asking, "What does it mean to be a man today?" This extraordinary book examines masculine images in fashion and the media-and attempts to provide some answers. Illustrated with hundreds of provocative photographs plucked from movies, magazines, television, and the fine arts-sports heroes, astronauts, movie stars, pop singers, soldiers, Elvis impersonators, models, and wrestlers, among others-Material Man ranges widely over the landscape of masculinity. Essays by 19 distinguished scholars and journalists show how fashion and the media both reflect and influence our ideas of masculinity-and have facilitated today's less rigid notions of manhood, in which traditional ideals exist side by side with alternative models of gender identity. Touching on everything from extreme sports to Prada ads, Material Man will be the book of the season for anyone who follows fashion and the media-or wonders about masculine identity. 260 illustrations, 210 in full color, 9 1/2 x 11 3/4"Synopsis
From the recent proliferation of men's lifestyle magazines to the rise of gender studies in academia, more and more men (and women) are asking, "What does it mean to be a man today?" This extraordinary book examines masculine images in fashion and the media-and attempts to provide some answers. Illustrated with hundreds of provocative photographs plucked from movies, magazines, television, and the fine arts-sports heroes, astronauts, movie stars, pop singers, soldiers, Elvis impersonators, models, and wrestlers, among others-Material Man ranges widely over the landscape of masculinity. Essays by 19 distinguished scholars and journalists show how fashion and the media both reflect and influence our ideas of masculinity-and have facilitated today's less rigid notions of manhood, in which traditional ideals exist side by side with alternative models of gender identity. Touching on everything from extreme sports to Prada ads, Material Man will be the book of the season for anyone who follows fashion and the media-or wonders about masculine identity. 260 illustrations, 210 in full color, 9 1/2 x 11 3/4"
Library Journal
What does it mean to be a man in the new millennium? Essays by 19 scholars from various fields, including anthropology, psychology, economics, media, and political science, attempt to answer this question. All seem to agree that masculinity is in crisis owing to a variety of 20th-century events. Editor Malossi, director of the Fashion Engineering Unit, a think tank based in Florence that is devoted to creating a culture of fashion, has developed a title with strong Italian roots and a focus on the male human form. One essayist defines virility as cunning tempered by self-awareness, a combination he claims has gotten men in trouble since Odysseus' time. The movie still that closes the book--of Sean Connery as the suave James Bond leaning against a sports car with a devil-may-care attitude--certainly reinforces this definition of virility and masculinity. One of the most positive essayists claims that the new man who will lead us into a new era will use the age-old capacity of giving to others and to the world. The quality of the essays varies from thought-provoking to unsubstantiated, but numerous photographs support the text well throughout. Overall, an interesting look at how culture shapes male identity and visa versa.--Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\