“The Master of Muscles”: Fitness Discourse in Men’s Health Magazine

“The Master of Muscles”: Fitness Discourse in Men’s Health Magazine In this article, it is aimed to explore the discourses on construction of male body in men’s magazines in the case of Men’s Health Magazine. For that purpose, the section dedicated to the subject of fitness is analysed as this subject plays a central role in the discourse on formation of man’s body. Therefore it is stated that in the magazine the bodily demonstration of men is based on the presentation of “the ideal man body”. That presentation as different from traditional presentation forms serves to exhibit bodies meticulously constructed and provoke the will to have a body like that. But the important point in that visibility is the persistence of the emphasis on powerfulness, toughness and masculinity. Promotion of bigness and powerfulness helps to protect masculinity against the danger of feminization. While representing bigness and powerfulness, the upper body being central to the construction of a masculine body is approached as a part of a fragmented body. Another prominent theme in the magazine is the emphasis on working hard in order to achieve the desired body by focusing on the process rather than the result.