American Pop Culture Maxim Magazine Term Paper

The very fact that the magazine openly admires men like Ray Liotta, who show depth beyond the typical alpha male and women like Christina Aguilera, who has chosen to use her sexuality rather than being used by her sexuality, demonstrates that the magazine does not even seriously believe that anyone should become the ideal male. On the contrary, the magazines use of stereotype-heavy advertising and writing suggests that the editors believe that men and women should try to incorporate some of the elements of these traditional stereotypes, while retaining their own individualized personalities. Such a position only becomes problematic when a consumer is not sophisticated enough to recognize that there is a distinction between writing about a stereotype and supporting all aspects of that stereotype. For example, violence against women has long been considered acceptable in sexual stereotyping. Maxim does not have articles, advertisements, or photos that glorify violence against women. In addition, while the magazine extols the virtues of sex with a bevy of female partners, it never suggests that any partners should be less than completely consensual. Whether these attitudes reflect a deeper problem in society is something about which people disagree and a topic for serious scholarship and debate. However, the acknowledgment and use of those stereotypes does not reflect a problem in the magazine industry or in pop culture at large.

Prato, Alison. 2007. American Gangster. Maxim, March, 119.

Keith, Bill. 2007. Ain't No Other Girl. Maxim, March, 88.

Jeep advertisement. 2007. Maxim, March, 77.

Crown Royal…