Músculos sem corpo: a produção de sentido sobre o corpo masculino na percepção das capas da revista Men’s Health

Resumo (EN)

This study aims to investigate the notion of masculinity as contemplated and disseminated in the printed media. The research takes place in the scope of Communication and aims to identify and analyze the production of meanings of male bodies and how they are presented in the magazine Men’s Health Brazil, chosen as the corpus for this study, and specifically whether the images of bodies are consistent with the normative standard that circulates in the social imaginary of Western society and the masculinities that the publication conveys.The method proposed for the study is based on the theory of content analysis (BARDIN, 2016), based on the observation of the covers of Men's Health Brazil. The established time frame is concentrated between 2010 and 2014, bringing together 12 editions.The theoretical framework is composed of the theory of the male body (LE BRETON, 2007; KELEMAN, 1999), the theories of patriarchy (LERNER, 2019; MUSZKAT, 2018), the theories of hegemonic masculinity (CONNELL; MESSERSCHMIDT, 2013; JABLONKA, 2021; BOLA, 2020), theories of male domination (BOURDIEU, 2021), theories of consumption (BAUMAN, 2008; BAITELLO JR., 2012; CONTRERA, 2017) and the theory of the communicational imaginary (CONTRERA, 2013). The research results state that media narratives influence the construction of the social imaginary and, consequently, in the production of meaning about the male body, which becomes idealized. The bodies shown on the covers of Men´s Health Brazil coincide with the normative pattern of Western society. These men are predominantly powerful and socially successful. On these covers, the bodies are stereotyped, as they offer images of a single pattern. The research also points out that the female presence on the covers is always linked to an eroticized and objectified image that contributes to male chauvinism and the maintenance of the female stereotype.