The Bold, Independent Woman Of Today and the Good Men and Boys in Her Life: A Sampling of Mainstream Media Representations

Abstract

For decades, there has been an abundance of negative portrayals of men and boys in mainstream media, but here and there, especially in recent years, ostensibly positive portrayals have also been presented of exemplary men and good little boys who devote themselves to fulfilling female's wishes and expectations. Although we cannot help but notice the goodâ male's existence (in movies, for example), we nevertheless pay little attention to him as an individual. Such representations of the good male do merit our attention, because upon examination, his psychological mindset is peculiar and ought to perplex us. We need to ask some hard questions about this representation. How does the good male image influence our attitudes toward the male sex in general? What does it teach boys about their futures, in adulthood? One unusual recent mainstream movie challenges the prevailing good male image and strongly suggests that there exists a far better and more realistic way to affirm the male sex's best qualities.