I quickly grabbed it, leaving all the other mail in the box and ran to my room. I noticed something different about this month’s issue. It was much heavier than previous issues, so I compared it to all the issues in the last five years. (Of which I have all of them) This had to be good! What treasures awaited me betwixt the glossy covers of this epic issue. My mind began to reel with excitement. Could it be a hard-hitting exposé, a heartwarming coming out story, a call to action over a political issue, or will I be whisked away to a foreign land in a travel article?
After much anticipation, I tore through the cellophane like it was Christmas morning. I scanned the cover, which is always adorned with some hard-bodied beefcake. The cover read “Our Annual Underwear Issue”. Now don’t get me wrong I was still super excited, come on, hot men in underwear…Heck yeah!
After my initial excitement wore off, I began to wonder about some things. You see Bois, this post is not about this magazine; this post is about our self-esteem. I have noticed lately that many in our community have little to no self-esteem, myself included. I am not going to sit here and blame the media, but I do believe that the images in our own media help to play a role in creating or damaging self-esteem.
I am concerned about the effects that it has on our overall community self-esteem. So I decided to do some research. (Albeit not too terribly scientific) What I have learned in the past from academia and observation has lead me to believe that this type of imagery could be damaging.
First let me tell you about some things I was looking for. Being a “Man of Color” myself, I am Latino; I was looking to see how many of the cover men represented minority groups. I know that seeing people who are like me in media is so very important. Hence the GLADD Media awards! I looked to see what types of advertisements were in the magazine, and just the overall names of the issues. Here is what I found:
95% of the cover men, in the last five years, were white, scantily clad, in very masculine/assertive poses.
(Looking directly at the camera, standing, and facing forward)
3% of the cover men were African American, fully clothed, in passive poses.
(Looking away from the camera, sitting or lying down)
There were only 2 Latinos in the last five years on the cover in passive poses.
Those were the only races represented. Accurate depictions of racial/ethnic minorities are important to the community. This type of discrepancy shows that to be “beautiful” and “masculine” you have to be part of the “White Majority”. Moving on, I found that there were actually seven “Annual Underwear” issues in the last five years. (Someone doesn’t understand the concept of “Annual”); there were five “Swimwear” issues, and one “Annual Health” issue.
I also found that 65% of the advertisements were for Alcohol and tobacco, including all 60 issues back covers with an alcohol ad quoting “Be Yourself”! Mind you all the men depicted were nothing like me and my friends. Are they saying “Be Yourself” only if you look like this!
I am going to take a sidetrack here and just walk you through the “Health” issue for a second. First it was the smallest issue of the magazine in the last five years. The first advertisement in the magazine had big bold letters that said “Addicted to Beauty”. Wow! Are we really that addicted to beauty and image?
I am very concerned that the very images that we are trying to maintain are sometimes unhealthy. I am not saying that being “fit” is not healthy; however, what measures will we go to, to get there? Not to mention not one of the issues addressed mental health. The health issue did have an article about love, forgiveness, and gratitude and how it affects our facial appearance, complete with a picture of a young man with circles on his face to show how “unhappy” he is.
Let me do a little self-disclosure here. I do not always have great self-esteem. Sometimes I feel that I have to work really hard to find positive reinforcement from my community. For a long time I have been “victimized” by society because I am too: Fat, Gay, etc. I learned a very ugly defense mechanism; I would project that “victimization” onto others before they even had the chance to “victimize” me.
I have struggled to find a happy and healthy way to deal with my own issues. I have learned, and thanks to some very opinionated friends, I have come to terms with who I am. It is a journey of self discovery. On that journey I have found that, “Yes! I want to look like someone on the cover on this magazine!” However, why am I the one who has to change to fit their image of who I am supposed to be? Why can’t they meet me where I stand? I understand that is not going to change unless I take the time to make that change.
I am very concerned, brothers, that this cannibalistic attitude is making us sicker. I am not making sweeping statements about all of society. There are always exceptions to the rules. However, this game we play about who looks better, or who can get more men is not doing very much to promote self-esteem. I know I have played that game many times, but, today I quit playing that game! Today, I will start a new game, a game where I can say “You are beautiful, no matter what they say” (Christina Aguilera)
Today, I emailed a copy of this article and a letter to the editor about this. I also sent them headshots, maybe one day you will see me on the cover! I want to see more people like me, so why not just me!
In my not so humble opinion, cancel my subscriptions because I don’t need your issues!
Abrazo por todos,
Patricio!
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