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Matthew Cummings

ENC 1101
Professor Lehn: M/W 3:35

The Changing Modern Male Iconoclast
Throughout history and different forms of media, the image of what it means to be a
modern man has changed drastically. As time changed and media changed with it, certain men
from different times have been the face of what it means to be a real man. Whether it be ancient
stories of bravery and valiance, or just plain being tough and rugged, time has always placed
someone in the spotlight to completely embody traits we see to be fitting of manhood and
masculinity.
The modern adolescent American male is constantly bombarded with images of what
society deems being a man truly is. Magazines, newspapers, even the ads on the clothes we buy
portray images of what it means to be a man. Social media however has taken over as the largest
influence on the perception of this idea. You can follow a famous actor or athlete and see
whatever they choose to show the world. Whether it be that he is insanely wealthy, muscular, or
an amazing pro athlete you get a glimpse into his life. Because it is only a glimpse and only what
they want you to see, it still makes you wonder why you cant be like him too. One man that
comes to mind because he has personally affected me is Dan Bilzerian: the Ultimate example of
being a mans man.
Dan Bilzerian is a professional poker player, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist known
for posting pictures to his Instagram page that show his extravagantly lavish standard of living.
From yacht parties with a hundred girls where he arrives in a helicopter, to poker games with buy
ins for upwards of $500K. He is also extremely fond of fully expressing his second amendment
rights with everything from .50 caliber rifles to fully automatic grenade launchers and even
running over cars with tanks. Did I mention he has a beard? As a teenager looking at this you
instantly wish you were this guy. Being surrounded by beautiful women, multi million dollar
boats, helicopters, planes, luxury cars, extravagant parties, and absurd amounts of money just
sounds like the American dream for almost every male. As if he wasnt already the epitome of
men, Bilzerian is an ex Navy Seal which makes him even more of a true American legend. Now,
me as a college student living on a college budget, I envy this man more than any other. He
makes millions every year while getting to do literally anything and everything he wants. You
could say this about any million or billionaire but something about his pictures scream, This is
what being a true American man looks like.
Put yourself in my shoes. At nineteen years old, sitting in class every day, earning a
degree, Dans life has an effect on me. I see what he does and who he is and I say That is who
Im supposed to be! Thats what a man is! Dans lifestyle and how he portrays himself makes
me and other guys my age step back and look at ourselves. We look in the mirror and wish we
were even a piece of Dan Bilzerian. Is it because we envy him? Absolutely. Is it because he is
saying, Every man should be like me? No. Its because when us teenage guys see him with a
huge beard sitting on a 12 million dollar yacht surrounded by 15 girls while he smokes a cigar
while holding a sniper rifle, we think That is what being a man looks like. We can talk all day
about how being a womanizer is not truly being a man and how beards dont make you a man
and how money does not make you a man. But in a society that is surrounded everyday with
images of money, excess and sex, how do we not look at people like Dan Bilzerian and say,
Thats how it should be?
These images have been shoved in front of my face since I was a kid. Men make money.
Men own guns and hunt and Men build things and fix things. Men are tough. Men are supposed
to be muscular. These ideals in themselves dictate how we grow up into the men we eventually
become. Dan Bilzerian just happens to be all those things wrapped up into one person
representing how todays adolescent males see what masculinity truly is.
Nevertheless, Dan Bilzerian is not the only iconoclast for masculinity. For years in
America throughout all different eras and forms of media we have had man after man that
embodies what being a man truly is. It all depends on what era we are talking about. The 40s and
50s gave us Frank Sinatra, a man of class and sophistication. In that time everyone was always
dressed formally with a jacket, shirt, tie, pants and nice shoes. A man meant that you were
respectable to all women, and knew how to dress yourself. Frank Sinatra was the face of man
hood for that time frame. He was the modern man and every man envied his talent on stage and
his charismatic effect off the stage. Surrounded by women, Frank was always seen keeping a
cool head with a smile on his face proving the point that a man knows how to carry himself in
any situation. In that time you would see pictures of Frank in newspapers and magazines, and
hear his music on the radio any day of the week.
Being the envy of most men especially young men you can see his influence on the
schema of what it means to be a man. A prime example of this influence is a Chesterfield
cigarette ad that features Frank with the text saying, Man-size satisfaction. The ad is playing
off of Franks likeness and impression of manhood to convey the idea that smoking cigarettes,
specifically Chesterfield, is the manly thing to do Just look at Frank, he loves them.
Going back a little further in time to World War II we can observe how the Government
even used what the country thought of being a man to their own advantage to recruit troops.
Images of muscular men prevailing and emerging from the smoke and debris of the Axis powers
saying to enlist today and be a real American man and serve your country. The Army even plays
on the idea that a real man enters the war for his country and gets surrounded by girls because
girls like a real man in the army. The specific text from the particular ad says, He volunteered
for Submarine service with an attractive woman admiring his uniform and pins. No man at this
time would want his manhood questioned so he may enlist purely to prove to himself and to his
better man and country that he truly is living what it means to be a man.
However as time progressed we see a change in the idea of manhood, the idea of what a
man does everyday and what is expected of him has changed drastically. Actors have always
been able to influence young men about what a man looks like. Actors like John Wayne that
were tough and rugged gave the idea that a man does not take anything from anyone and should
live by his own moral compass. That idea of freedom speaks to men cross generationally
especially in America. Men do not like being told what to do and seeing someone on the big
screen constantly take matters into his own hands live by his own law is very inspiring and we
take pieces of that into our own lives. Im not taking nothing from nobody and thats that
because thats what a real man does.
Modern actors as well embody what society sees as a man. Look at actors like Bruce
Willis and Denzel Washington. In every movie they are constantly fighting and taking bullets
and having to save the day and put the bad guys in their place. I think any guy can relate to
wanting to be the one that saves the day and be admired and recognized for it.
As little kids weve always grown up wanting to be the hero and save the day. The one
that solves problems and saves the day so all the innocent citizens of Gotham and New York
City can cheer our names. Every Halloween we dress up as Superman and Batman and
Spiderman just to play the hero for at least one day. As a young impressionable mind we see all
of these cartoon movies and comic books where the hero fights the bad guys and gets praise for
it. Young boys admire the super heroes. It seems like there is nothing that can stop them. They
arent afraid of anything. As a kid its such an inspiring thing to see. You start thinking you can
be a super hero too and how if superman isnt afraid of anything then neither should you.
But why is it that no matter what era, or what part of the world, there is always a guy than
completely exemplifies manhood. Across media and technology there has always been a way for
a celebrity of sorts that is the dictionary definition of manhood. In ancient cultures people were
told stories of Hercules and Odysseus, men that were strong and persistent. Whether the stories
were true or not the message was the same. A man is a person who leads and takes control of a
situation and against whatever obstacles he encounters he overcomes.
For example in the Odyssey, Odysseus encounters mythical monsters such as one eyed
giants, the epic sea monster of Scylla, evil nymphs and many more. But somehow over years of
hardship and battle he returns home after the Trojan war to his wife that he has remained faithful
to. The story is meant to teach a lot of things but I cant help but think young men especially
soldiers would hear this epic and admire Odysseus masculine traits and want to be just like him
on the battle field. Stories like this have been told for hundreds or years whether true or not the
effect was the same almost every time on the youth of the era. One story that comes to mind is
Paul Bunyan. Although just a somewhat humorous tale of brute strength and giant blue bull, the
idea of being big and strong and completely seemingly impossible feats is the same.
Men like the idea of improvement and getting better no matter what it is be a job, sport,
hobby or just self-improvement. All of the men I have explained exemplify those ideas of being
something better than you are now. I doubt any men look at Dan Bilzerian and dont think they
wish they were him or admit they arent like him at all. Just like most men would tell you that
they arent as suave as Frank Sinatra or Elvis and any man that says he is, is lying. Men in
ancient times always envied the heroes in the epic poems and tales of bravery and valor. No man
in those times could try to say he held himself to the same regard as Hercules or Odysseus. I
guarantee you though that any man seeing a guy like Frank Sinatra on TV or Dan Bilzerian on
their iPhone, looks in envy and wishes he could do whatever it took to be that much of a man.
Every soldier in ancient times wishes they could be as powerful as Hercules.
As most of these portrayals of manhood are skewed based upon fiction or deceit, we still
look in awe at these guys and aspire to be like them. Just like women with clothing models and
actresses. The women know that some of the pictures are too good to be true and that the models
bodies are extremely unrealistic to want to be like. Us guys are the same way however. We see
men that are at the extreme of masculinity because that is what is shoved in front of our faces
every single day. We also believe that that is the norm which isnt always a bad thing because it
makes us want to improve ourselves more.

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