Representations of Masculinity in Advertising in Poland and China

Abstract

The below article explores how the physical attributes of the ideal man vary between Western culture (Poland) and Eastern Asian Culture (China). We have analyzed how popular culture, media and commercials have changed our views on the ideal male beauty. The study also briefly shows men’s reactions to the representation of male bodies in advertising, particularly when men are portrayed in a sexual, objectified, exploitative manner. In this work we have focused on Polish and Chinese representations of men and male bodies in commercials that hold common features of Western and Eastern Asian cultures as well as distinctive characteristics of these two countries.