An international cast of gorgeous male models shows just how drastically the physical attributes of the “ideal man” vary across 12 different countries.
It has become increasingly prevalent in entertainment, media, and advertising in recent years to focus on the beauty of the "ideal" male form. Although studies have shown that women continue to report higher numbers in regards to negative body image, the percentage of men admitting to body dissatisfaction is, shockingly, growing at a much faster rate.
It must be stated that this is nothing new to gay and bisexual men who, when compared to their straight counterparts, have historically reported higher percentages of eating disorders and generally experience more cultural and sexual pressure to come to terms with their body image, whether it be issues of weight, racial objectification and preference, or masculinity.
These concerns surrounding the "ideal" traits that make a man physically attractive, in no small part thanks to the mass media, are beginning to affect men everywhere, especially young boys. The male beauty market has reacted with exponential statistics: The number of men’s beauty products increased by more than 70% worldwide between 2012 and 2014. As of 2013, men's skin care alone was a $3.3 billion global industry.
In the simplest of conclusions, men, at least to the general public, are starting to care more about how they look and how that affects their perception of self, and it inspires a vast array of controversial discussions. This video and its accompanying study aim to put contemporary "ideal" male specimens under scrutiny, front and center, as physical representations of a massive survey, both theoretical and empirical in nature. We hope to spark a more open and important dialogue regarding men's relationships with their bodies, ethnicity, masculinity, and personal expression of beauty.
BuzzFeed Video / Via youtube.com
We gathered information from professional publications, entertainment, and social media to determine: how have popular culture and media shaped our views on ideal male beauty?
We focused our research on the following 12 countries: the United States, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Turkey, Italy, the U.K., India, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia.
Music: What So Not - "Jaguar"
Wardrobe: Publish Brand
youtube.com / Via youtube.com
We also conducted our own independent study and asked for personal insight from the most important authority on men's relationships with beauty and fashion: you.
Between BuzzFeed Video and producer Eugene Lee Yang's Facebook pages we received thousands of responses from international viewers, which served as the basis for a portion of our findings.
Facebook: video.php / Via Facebook: video.php
1) USA
• "Hottest" male celebrities (as determined by our Facebook audience's responses and online popularity): Chris Evans, Channing Tatum, Chris Pratt
• Internationally, white celebrities from America were the most cited out of any country when discussing foreign influence on the male beauty ideal.
• A study from San Francisco State University found that where women struggle with media pressure to be thin, men face media pressure to be muscular.
• An American ideal male body type has a broad upper body, including shoulders, biceps, and pectoral muscles. “V-shaped” seems to be a key term.
• In recent years, the bearded, plaid-shirt-wearing look has become so popular among American (read: white) men that they have earned the nickname “lumbersexual.”
• According to the 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report, 83.3% of all lead actors in films released in 2013 were white.
• Since People magazine began naming an annual Sexiest Man Alive, only one nonwhite man has won the title: Denzel Washington, in 1996.
• The U.S. and Canada account for 9% of the global men's skin care industry.
• According to market data firm Euromonitor International, American spending on men’s grooming products has increased from $2.4 billion in 1997 to $4.8 billion in 2009.
• According to market research firm Mintel, the U.S. market for men’s personal care products earned $4.1 billion in 2014.
Eugene Lee Yang / Via youtube.com