Men’s Bodies

‘Masculinity’

‘The academic study of ‘masculinity’ has burgeoned over the last 25 years. During the same period, the sociological concept of ‘medicalisation’ has been developed and deployed to explore the role that medicine and the health professions play as agents of social control.’(Rosenfeld, 2007). With this in mind within society today there has been a major increase in the medicalisation of men’s bodies especially during the ageing process. ‘The medicalisation of men has often not been by design, but concepts such as hair loss, erectile dysfunction and andropause have been through medical discoveries for other things’ (Conrad, 2007). ‘Television programmes about successful ageing, magazine articles and images used to promote the latest erectile dysfunction medication consistently tell men to ‘see their doctor’ this shows a movement of ageing from natural life to a medical problem in need of treatment’ (Conrad, 2007).

‘Erectile Dysfunction… A medical fix for all?

Treatments from professionals along with corporate companies offering ‘fixes’ to men’s physical concerns during the ageing process all aim to tackle issues such as Erectile dysfunction and hair loss to maintain masculinity within our ageing male population. ‘Erectile dysfunction (ED), also known as impotence, is the inability to get and maintain an erection…Erectile dysfunction is a very common condition, particularly in older men. It is estimated that half of all men between the ages of 40 and 70 will have it to some degree’ (Nhsinform.scot, 2019). Although Erectile Dysfunction is natural within the ageing process of men, many struggle to accept this factor of the life course therefore medicalise this symptom of old age in an attempt to control and prevent.  The desire for men to maintain youthful masculinity has led to a large increase in these men seeking solutions medically, this can evidently be seen in the sudden growth of ‘ Viagra Connect’ since now being readily available over the counter in most pharmacies in the UK, ‘According to research by market analysts IRI, sales of the erectile dysfunction drug reached £4.3 million in the 12 weeks after the product – Viagra Connect – became available to purchase over the counter’ (Chemistanddruggist.co.uk, 2019).This increase in sales within the uk ‘suggest that more men are becoming increasingly proactive about seeking treatment’ (Chemistanddruggist.co.uk, 2019). This increase in sales could also be a result in the desire for men to conform to society’s standards of ‘what men should be’ and to prevent a certain stigma.

Within society and the media there has always seemed to be a push for women to prevent the ageing process through botox, fillers and anti- wrinkle creams, however what has now pushed males to feel this resistance against the ageing process and all the physical changes that come with this?. Connell (2005) argues that within our society there is a hierarchy of masculinity with the ‘ideal types’ of masculinity being expressed (Giddens, 2013). potentially offering an explanation for why men feel the need to maintain masculinity. At the top of Connel’s hierarchy is ‘hegemonic masculinity’. ‘According to Connell, hegemonic masculinity is associated first and foremost with hetrosexuality and marriage’ (Giddens, 2013) however to society this level of masculinity is most often linked to physical strength, toughness and sexual vitality,  to some Erectile dysfunction may put their masculinity under scrutiny. Modern day ideology in relation to men shows that this ideal idea of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ is what some men constantly strive for even in later life as it is believed it is what society wants and  pharmaceutical enterprises allow this to be accessed.

Thompson (1994) sees older men disengaging from social roles however as they do so they feel a stigma due to a decline in their masculinity leading to them now becoming invisible in society, has this new wave of medicalisation allowed them to be visible again?. The way in which society has constructed and installed these new standards of men has allowed a  capitalist society to grasp a hold of this, seen through the emergence of pharmaceutical companies expanding their market and their audience for drugs like viagra and testosterone replacement drugs.  However a downside to this is the medicalisation of Erectile Dysfunction which is not an illness as such, and simply a form of disease mongering, whereby normal, everyday issues are now put under medical surveillance (Carpiano, 2001).

Andropause… The Male Menopause,Is this a disease or a myth?

Andropause is a condition that is associated with the decrease in the male hormone, testosterone. Approximately 30% of men in their 50s will experience symptoms of andropause caused by low testosterone levels, this can be seen through  a number of symptoms including low sex drive, Erectile dysfunction and a loss of strength (Chealth.canoe.com, 2019). The andropause is partly medicalised within society and many pharmaceutical companies have used this to their advantage by developing drugs aimed to tackle some of the symptoms that come with the andropause. This includes testosterone replacement therapy however ‘early pharmaceutical companies had a great deal at stake with laboratory testosterone…this new found excitement quickly translated to the large pharmaceutical companies.’ (Conrad, 2007).The large pharmaceutical companies then used this newfound treatment as a way for large profit gain advertising testosterone as a ‘magic pill’ that could work ‘wonders’ for all middle aged patients (Conrad, 2007).

Bourdieu ‘Body Capital’

Bourdieu (1984) used the idea of physical capital as adding to a person’s self value. Bourdieu discussed the several forms of capital that allows individuals and social groups to gain advantages (Giddens, 2013), this includes economic, social, cultural and symbolic capital. The body for Bourdieu is an unfinished entity which develops in conjunction with various social forces and is integral to the maintenance of social inequalities (Shilling, 2003). Bourdieu believes the way in which individuals physically present themselves and feel about themselves can alter how they are viewed within society. ‘Bourdieu’s conceptualization of the body as a form of physical capital has several similarities with Elias’s view of the civilized body. showing an interrelationship between the development of the body and people’s social location, viewing the body as central to status (Shilling, 2003).

In the past medicines have been solely targeted to individuals of poor health and who were genuinely classed as ill, however this over medicalization of society now allows simple, natural changes within the body to be treated by readily available medication, largely endorsed by large multi million pound pharmaceutical companies. Some have argued that men are not as vulnerable to medicalisation as women (Riessman,1983) but since the introduction of Viagra in 1998 this has led to a redefinition of male sexual performance and therefore a large medicalisation of erectile dysfunction medication targeted at a larger audience with nearly all men being potential buyers.

By Hannah Carmichael