Jordan Kim ’27

WUJUR (2025) | Cite this work

Abstract

From fitness magazines to blockbuster films, American media has long celebrated the ideal of the “strong man”—disciplined, confident, and in control. Yet who gets to embody that ideal has never been equal. Men’s Health magazine, one of the most widely circulated fitness and lifestyle publications for men, serves as a prime example of this cultural sculpting. Through its covers, workout advice, and celebrity features, the magazine promotes an image of masculinity that merges physical perfection with social success. It showcases a wide range of hypermasculine ideals that intersect markedly with racial identities. This paper aims to dissect these intersections, particularly focusing on how the magazine’s portrayal of masculinity differs across racial groups and reinforces specific hierarchies of desirability. The narrative surrounding white men typically upholds and defends traditional masculine norms, presenting white masculinity as both aspirational and attainable. In stark contrast, African American men are often pigeonholed into roles that highlight physicality over intellect, reinforcing outdated and monolithic stereotypes of primal masculinity. Meanwhile, Asian men encounter a different sort of marginalization characterized by underrepresentation and invisibility; when they are featured, they are often subjected to prevailing stereotypes that commodify their identities while positioning them in opposition to hypermasculine norms, feminizing their identities. Men’s Health magazine not only upholds hypermasculinity within the framework of whiteness by depicting white men as both paragons and relatable exemplars of traditional masculine norms but also systematically commodifies African American and Asian men, reinforcing enduring racial stereotypes and subtly perpetuating white supremacy.

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Citation (APA)

Kim, J. (2025). Unveiling masculinity: A critical analysis of racial representation in Men’s Health covers. WUJUR, 2(1), 54-57.

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Jordan, Kim. Washington University in St. Louis.
Corresponding Author. Send correspondence to jordan.kim@wustl.edu.

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