Preliminary Thesis: In 1998 a cigarette between the lips made you a man and hightened your masculinity.
I. A man with a carefree attitude while smoking is showing your masculinity.
1st Supporting Point: Esquire magazine ad for Malboro brand cigarettes with a male model endorsing it.
Eg: The ad shows this western man inhaling and enjoying this moment and seems to be taking life as it comes. A relax posture is shown and he is just being a man.
Detail:What this means is the male model is infact smaoking and is taking a break from whatever it is he was doing. Just like what a man would do, take things easy.
Analysis: He is showing what masculinity was considered to be in the late 1990's.
II. Leaning back against a wall shows that a man can find time to relax and enjoy a smoke.
2nd Supporting Point: Esquire magazine shows yet another malboro cigarette advertisement with a western theme and a male maodel.
Eg: This ad shows a "cowboy" dressed man leaning up against the wall and lighting up his cigarette, and showing off his manliness because he is smoking and is a tough, rough western cowboy.
Detail: What this means to me is that this man can work hard and accomplish his task and yet show off he is the stronger man because he smoke a cigarette and makes him look tougher. With all that toughness that is a strong sense of masculinity.
Analysis: He is showing all males of the 1990's that a man is suppose to smoke and just be a man.
III. A muscian can play music with awesome talent and yet have a smoke to show he is a man nonetheless.
3rd Supporting Point: Esuire magazine interview of Chris Whitly, and the picture they have of him shows him enjoing a smoke.
Eg: He is a blues-rock muscian that plays and even while on set he smokes and after the show he smokes. He shows the readers that he can play great music and still catch a smoke, this shows he is masculine all around with talent and style.
Detail: This means that a man can absoulutly be talented and gifted with a guitar and enjoy a smoke, being at the same time or afterwards. Whitly is concious of the masculinty he has and what his fans see him as.
Analysis: You can play beautiful music and still show the world that your a man with masculinty at its best.
IV. Real masculinty is to smoke and live a life full of acomplishments.
4rd Supporting Point: Esquire magazine interview of Al Lewis an actor a govener hopefull and a picture showing him with a huge cigar inbetween his lips.
Eg: He has lived a long life 88years old when he was interview and he accomplish many things withen his life. He acted several films and he wanted to be govener and rumored to be a scouter for the baskeball team the Celtics. With all that in mind he still smokes.
Detail: A real man with countless goals can accomplish them, if they smoke. If a man were to smoke they to can be as great as Al Lewis. This showed men of the 1990's real man and the masculinity that is to follow.
Analysis: Any man with many scomplishments in life and that smokes, shows that he is masculine with greatness and achivements under his belt.
This is a really good start to an outline, and once you ad the secondary sources it will be great :) In your thesis, you should mention the year and the name of the magazine from which you extracted the primary sources. As you search for secondary sources, which will help you elaborate and support your analysis of the relationship between masculinity and smoking, you might consider articles/books which discuss: 1. the Marlboro Man as an image of masculinity 2. smoking as a masculine activity.
ReplyDeleteAlso think about the image of the cowboy and why that would appeal to men as a masculine persona.