Hegemonic Masculinity in Slimmers World International Instagram Posts
Hegemonic
Masculinity in Slimmers World International Instagram Posts
Persieus S. Balog
Ph.D. English Studies: Language
University of the Philippines Diliman
I. Introduction
Social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram play a pivotal role in our life. Indeed, staying connected with our loved ones, keeping up with the latest news and trends, and advertising products and services become easier with the help of social media. According to Poulsen, Kvale, and van Leeuwen (2018), social media plays a huge role in shaping and transforming social practices that affect not only the way of socializing but also the promotion of products and services. One of many companies that use social media to promote their services is Slimmers World International.
Slimmers World International provides services that help their clients achieve fit bodies and healthy skin. They have numerous centers in Metro Manila, Cebu, Subic, and Bangkok, Thailand (Slimmers World, 2018). As one of the leading companies in beauty and fitness, they tend to promote certain standards of beauty, body, and masculinity. In this regard, it is interesting to analyze the gender ideologies embedded in Slimmers World International Instagram (IG) posts and how other genders are presented on their IG page.
Many scholars have been interested in analyzing social media these days. Because of its power that transforms and shapes social practices (Poulsen, et al., 2018), some researchers have been interested in analyzing how gender is represented in social media. One example is the study of Parkins and Parkins (2021). The main focus of their paper is on gender representation and construction of masculinity in Instagram posts of 10 male social media influencers. Their objective is to determine how male influencers construct masculinity in their Instagram posts. Findings reveal that male influencers embody the ideal concepts of hegemonic masculinity in society today. On the other hand, some male influencers are shifting away from the stereotypical concept of masculinity to a more metrosexual type of masculinity. It indicates that men nowadays are becoming more interested in grooming and fashion, thus veering away from the traditional concept of hegemonic masculinity. This related literature will be useful in expounding the analysis of the present paper in analyzing the hegemonic masculinity in Slimmers World Instagram posts.
Similarly, the study of
Bañez (2021) zeroes in on analyzing the concepts of Filipino masculinities on Twitter.
In this paper, the researcher analyzed the current construction of
masculinities in the social media space. Analysis shows different themes of
masculinities – 1. Romance and Masculinity, 2. Masculine Capital, 3. Online
Resistance to Hegemonic Masculinity. Interestingly, Bañez (2021) highlighted
that studies on Asian online discourse on masculinities specifically in the
Philippine context remain scarce. Thus, the present study would like to address
this research gap.
In the field of social semiotics and language and gender, there is a study conducted in analyzing the construction of masculinity in a social space. Kerry (2016) studied the construction of hegemonic masculinity in the semiotic landscape of a CrossFit ‘cave’ in New Zealand. Findings reveal that hegemonic masculinity is dominant in the social semiotic landscape of CrossFit gym. It is evident in the pictures, signs, and colors found inside CrossFit. Similarly, based on the analysis, the semiotic landscape of the gym shows different layers of marginalization of women and men who do not conform to the standards of hegemonic masculinity. Also, the gym’s semiotic landscape promotes certain gender ideologies that marginalize women and members of the LGBTQIA community. In the end, as a member of the gym, Kerry (2016) felt uncomfortable in the semiotic landscape of CrossFit, thus prompting her to transfer to another gym that has a more welcoming ambiance for women.
The main objective of the present paper is to analyze the hegemonic masculinity and gender ideologies embedded in Slimmers World International Instagram (IG) posts and how other genders are presented on their IG page. This study is, indeed, a replication of Kerry’s (2016) research on the construction of hegemonic masculinity in the semiotic landscape of a CrossFit ‘cave’ in New Zealand. Therefore, my study also utilized the same theoretical framework in Kerry’s (2016) paper. Nevertheless, the context and corpus of our studies are different. Hers focuses on the semiotic landscape of CrossFit gym in New Zealand, whereas mine zeroes in on the Instagram page or social media space of Slimmers World International in the Philippines.
Overall, based on the limited review of related literature cited in this study, it may indicate that there is a research gap in analyzing hegemonic masculinity in online discourse and social media platforms, especially in the Philippine context. Thus, the present paper would attempt to fill this research gap.
Research Questions
This study seeks to analyze the hegemonic masculinity and gender ideologies embedded in Slimmers World International Instagram (IG) posts. Specifically, this study attempts to answer the following question.
1. Is hegemonic masculinity prevailing on Slimmers World
International Instagram page?
2. What are the different types of hegemonic masculinity present on Slimmers World International Instagram posts?
Theoretical Framework
To answer the research questions, this paper utilized Connell and Messerschmidt’s (2005) theory of hegemonic masculinity. According to Connell and Messerschmidt (2005), this theory is based on the idea that there are superior and inferior types of men or hierarchies of masculinities in society. Furthermore, according to Connell (1998), as cited in Kerry (2016), “hegemonic masculinity often relates to hierarchy and exclusion based on what is perceived to be the ideal male” (p. 212). In other words, the concept of hegemonic masculinity sets certain standards a man should possess to look ideal, dominant, and powerful. According to this theory, an ideal man must embody a great physique, emotional strength, economic and social power, and other characteristics of desirable men. Furthermore, “hegemonic masculinity may take two forms: hegemony over women, and hegemony over other, subordinate masculinities (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005; in Kerry, 2016, p. 213).” Hegemony over women focuses on dominance over women in terms of emotional, physical, sexual, social, and economic aspects. On the other hand, hegemony over other subordinate masculinities zeroes in on men who do not fit the mold of an ideal man.
II. Methodology
For the corpus of this study, I have collected 44 pictures from the official Instagram page of Slimmers World International. Due to time constraints, the data is only limited to the pictures posted from January 3, 2022, to May 26, 2022. I have chosen Slimmers World International as the source of my corpus mainly because they are one of the leading companies in beauty and fitness in the Philippines. Hence, it is interesting to analyze the gender ideologies embedded in their Instagram posts.
This study used a mixed-method approach. The quantitative approach focused on the simple frequency count of Instagram posts that reflect hegemonic masculinity, whereas the descriptive qualitative approach was used to analyze the types of hegemonic masculinity present in the pictures. Moreover, the corpus was coded and analyzed using Connell and Messerschmidt’s (2005) theory of hegemonic masculinity.
III. Results and Discussions
In this part of the paper, the tables, samples, analyses, and discussions of the findings are presented.
Table 1
The overall frequency of Slimmers World International Instagram posts from January 2022 to May 2022
|
Instagram posts |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
Hegemonic Masculinity |
15 |
34.1 |
|
Advertisements |
19 |
43.2 |
|
Muscular Concept of Women |
10 |
22.7 |
|
Total |
44 |
100 |
As shown in Table 1, more than a quarter of the corpus comprises posts that reflect hegemonic masculinity, while almost half of it consists of advertisements. It shows that hegemonic masculinity does exist in Slimmers World International Instagram posts. Furthermore, the high frequency of advertisement is because of the promotion of certain vitamins, reminders for Covid-19 protocols, and holiday and special day greetings. The advertisements posted indicate that Slimmers World International does not only promote products and services, but also they would like to connect and show concern to their clients. This is evident in their Covid-19 posts and special day greetings such as Mother’s Day. Lastly, a quarter of the corpus reflects a muscular concept of women which I will discuss later.
Hegemonic Masculinity
Figure 1
Figure 1 is an example of hegemonic masculinity. As
can be seen in the image, the man shows his great physique and physical
strength. His muscles and disciplines
for his training are highlighted. You could see in his eyes that he is
laser-focused on what he is doing. According to Kerry (2016), one of the
indicators of hegemonic masculinity in CrossFit is the value of discipline evident
not just in its semiotic landscape, but also in the discourse of the owner and
other male members of the gym. This
value is also present on the Instagram page of Slimmers World International.
Figure 2
Another example of
hegemonic masculinity is the image of the man in Figure 2. This example is
amusing because the man in the picture is Aaron Maniego, a famous social media
influencer, and proud LGBTQ member. Aaron is known for his fun and flamboyant
fashion and personality. In Figure 2, his buffed body is highlighted which
reflects hegemonic masculinity. This interesting finding shows representation
of the LGBTQ community and the muscular concept of gay men. Based on this
sample, I could say that Slimmers World International Instagram page promotes
inclusivity. The picture of Aaron posted on their Instagram page sends a
message that they welcome the members of the LGBTQ community. Similarly, they
also promote the muscular concept of gay men which is different from the usual
body type of gay men in the Philippines, i.e., slim and effeminate.
Advertisement
Figure 3
Figure 3 is one of the
examples of advertisements posted on the Slimmers World International Instagram
page. As shown in Table 1, almost 50% of the corpus consists of advertisements.
I find it interesting because Slimmers World International does not only
promote great body physique on their Instagram page, but they also take part in
the celebration of some special days such as Mother’s Day (Figure 3). This may
indicate that they are aware that they also have women and mothers as clients.
In this regard, it helps them to be more inclusive.
Figure 4
One of the fascinating
findings of the present study is the muscular concept of women. Indeed, a
quarter of the corpus reflects a muscular concept of women which is shown in
Figure 4. These findings indicate that Slimmers World International promotes a
certain body physique for women that veers away from the usual and conventional
slender type of body (Figure 5). It is interesting to note because such an image
reveals their gender ideology. This picture is empowering for women because it
shows that women can also do rigorous workouts like what men do. Also, by
simply looking at the face and muscles of the woman in Figure 4, you could say
that Slimmers World International created an image of a powerful woman who is
ready to fight and conquer the world.
Figure 5
Furthermore, I observe that Slimmers World International showcases different types of women on their Instagram page. For instance, Figure 3 - a mother and daughter; Figure 4 - a muscular concept of women, and Figure 5 – a toned and slender model. The woman you can see in Figure 5 is Kylie Verzosa, Miss International 2016. You can see in this picture the typical toned, slender, model body type of a woman. Compare to Figure 4, Figure 5 is the more conventional type that many women would like to achieve.
Based on Table 1, I could say that hegemonic
masculinity does exist on the Instagram page of Slimmers World International;
however, it is not dominant unlike in the findings of Kerry (2016) where
hegemonic masculinity is prevailing in the entire semiotic landscape of
CrossFit gym. Furthermore, I argue that Slimmers World International Instagram
page is inclusive. The presence of a member of the LGBTQ Community (Figure 2)
and different types of women (Figures, 2, 3, and 4) shows that Slimmers World
International welcomes other genders, thus promoting inclusivity in their
social media space. It is interesting to conduct another study comparing and
contrasting their Instagram page and the semiotic landscape of the actual gym to
see if there are similarities and differences with the results. In addition,
the presence of muscular concepts of women (Figure 4) and gay men (Figure 2) is
another interesting topic to explore in future research projects because there
may be layers of marginalization that are happening among the so-called
marginalized groups.
Table 2
Different types of hegemonic masculinity found in Slimmers World International Instagram posts
|
Types of Hegemonic Masculinity |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
Hegemony over other subordinate men |
11 |
73.3 |
|
Hegemony over women |
4 |
26.7 |
|
Total |
15 |
100 |
Table 2 presents different types of hegemonic masculinity. There are two types of hegemonic masculinity. First hegemony over women focuses on dominance over women in terms of emotional, physical, sexual, social, and economic aspects. Second hegemony over other subordinate masculinities zeroes in on men who do not fit the mold of an ideal man. Based on the analysis, hegemony over other subordinate men is more common than hegemony over women.
Hegemony over other subordinate men
Figure 6
The man in Figure 6 is an example of hegemony over other subordinate men. As you can see, his strong body and great physique are being highlighted in the picture. This is similar to other pictures of men posted on the Instagram page of Slimmers World International. Moreover, the absence of the pictures of men who are out of shape, overweight, or thin indicates that Slimmers World International gives much premium on men who fit the mold of hegemonic masculinity. Slimmers World International aims to promote beauty and fitness; hence, it is not surprising that most of its posts showcase fit men (Figures 1 and 6). On the other hand, this may give an impression that men who are overweight or thin are not welcome. Therefore, it would have been better if they had also posted pictures of out-of-shape men, who are working out, to have more representation on their Instagram page.
Hegemony over women
Figure 7
Based on the analysis, hegemony over other women is not that evident in the corpus. Also, even though hegemony over other women does exist in the data, it is subtle. Figure 7 is an example of hegemony over other women. As you can see in the picture, there are three women and one man raising their hands together. The man is the tallest among them; hence, the three women seem like looking up to the man, thus making him look superior. Figure 7 shows the dominance of man physically.
Kerry’s (2016) findings are different from the results of the present study. In her paper, hegemony over women is evident in the social semiotic landscape of CrossFit gym in New Zealand. On the other hand, the present study reveals that hegemony over women is not that dominant or prevailing on the Instagram page of Slimmers World International. As I have mentioned earlier, Slimmers World International Instagram page is inclusive. This may explain the reason why hegemony over women is relatively less frequent in the corpus.
IV. Conclusion
The main objective of the study is to analyze the hegemonic masculinity and gender ideologies embedded in Slimmers World International Instagram (IG) posts. The paper attempted to replicate the study of Kerry (2016) using other data and context. Findings reveal that hegemonic masculinity is not prevailing on the Instagram page of Slimmers World International. Also, the presence of an LGBTQ member and different types of women on their Instagram page indicates that they value inclusivity and welcome other genders. Moreover, Slimmers World International shows care and concern for their clients. This is evident in their Covid-19 protocols, holiday greetings, and other advertisements displaying connections to their patrons. Furthermore, another interesting finding of the study is the promotion of the muscular concept of women and gay men. It empowers women and members of the LGBTQ community because they are presented in a more powerful form. It is a good move for Slimmers World International because it shows that they embrace diversity and inclusivity, thus helping them attract more clients.
The data analyzed for this study is limited; hence, the findings of the present paper are not conclusive. I only focused on Slimmers World International Instagram pictures posted from January 3, 2022, to May 26, 2022, due to time constraints. In this regard, I suggest including a wider range of data for a future research project. Likewise, other researchers may compare and contrast the Instagram page and the actual gyms of Slimmers World International to see if there are differences and similarities in gender ideologies being promoted and manifested in two different domains. Moreover, other scholars may look into layers of marginalization manifesting among women and members of the LGBTQ community on the Instagram page of Slimmers World International. They may also conduct ethnographic research to capture the experiences of the clients that belong to the so-called marginalized groups of society.
Social media plays a pivotal role in our life
nowadays. As stated by Poulsen et al. (2018), social media plays a huge role in
shaping and transforming social practices. Hence, it is important that we are
aware of what we are posting and consuming from our social media platforms.
Companies and social media influencers must be aware of the content of their
Instagram page because they may promote certain gender ideologies that could
marginalize other members of society.
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masculinities construction in tweets.
Masculinities and Social Change, 10(3), 216-241. https://doi.org/10.17583/MCS.2020.8634
Connel, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity
rethinking the concept.
Gender & Society, (19), 829-859.
Kerry, V. J. (2016). The construction of hegemonic masculinity in the
semiotic landscape of a
crossfit ‘cave’. Visual Communication, 16(2), 209-237. DOI10.1177/1470357216684081
Parkins, M., & Parkins, J. (2021). Gender representation in social
media and formations of
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Poulsen, S. V., Kvale, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2018). Special issue:
Social media as semiotic
technology. Social Semiotics, 28(5), 593-600. DOI: 10.1080/10350330.2018.1509815
Slimmers World. (2018). Slimmers
world international is the Philippines’ foremost name in
slimming, health,
fitness, and beauty. https://slimmersworld.com.ph/about-us/
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