Esquire and its Construction of Gender

In Kenon Breazeale’s article “In Spite of Women” discusses the construction of the male consumer while simultaneously being critical of Esquire Magazine’s construction of the female consumer. I found this image relatable to the text because I found that it’s presence in the text was substantial. It can be seen by not only Breazeale’s statement that “Many periodicals disdained any connection with alcoholic beverages, so Esquire’s willingness to tout beer, wine, and liquor as adjuncts to the good life made those industries important early advertisers in its pages,” but also through the construction of woman through this advertisement, as supported by Breazeale. First of all, Breazeale discussed how, for a men’s magazine, how it was really about women, specifically the “exploitation and denial of the feminine.” This advertisement would imply that men don’t think about how they dress or what they drink, they just know what they like and are straight to the point. This is a blatant and one-sided comparison between male and female thought process that strictly makes the same argument that I believe Esquire would be trying to make. In the article it says, “In home décor women were also accused of overvaluing appearance, this time at the expense of comfort.” This attacks the not only the actions of women, but their thoughts behind their actions, depicting them as shallow and dim-witted. This advertisement’s copy of “Thank God you’re a man” also depicts this sense of hierarchy, that somehow being a man is so much better, directly correlates to the statement that “Esquire gave advice to counter the looming rhetorical prop of a woman who is doing all things wrong.” Basically, what I believe the advertisement to be saying is “drink our beer, and you won’t be a woman and this won’t be wrong.”

How To Be A Man

The construction of the male consumer, as discussed in Kenon Brezeale’s article, is an interesting concept that is said to have begun with the production of Esquire magazine. Supposedly the Depression diminished the “image” of the male and this magazine was built as a source to counteract this problem. What I found interesting about this idea is that the magazine established gender roles, and always presented the heightened image of the masculine male. It reinstated the idea that women were supposed to stay at home with the children and of course never hold a job at a higher status than the male. This magazine is supposed to empower males to feel better about themselves however I think it’s extremely interesting that by doing so they are also brainwashing them. “…a new kind of magazine-one that will answer the question of What to do? What to eat, what to drink, what to wear, how to play…” (231). This magazine, like many others, is now just a form of media telling its consumers how to think. This cover of Esquire magazine states, “How To Be A Man” with the ultimate icon staring back at you: George Clooney. Esquire’s goal was to create a following of men that will consume just as much as women, not to empower men and their individual qualities.