Calvin Klein underwear models, definitely eye candy. But what effect do underwear ads have on our own body image? Spencer Althouse and BuzzFeed set up a project with seven everyday guys, some Calvins, and a studio photographer. The participants’ comments on the experience (along with the photos!) are in this August 2015 post.
Read it here: BuzzFeed, “We recreated famous Calvin Klein underwear ads and this is what happened”
- What was BuzzFeed’s stated purpose for this project? Why did they want to recreate iconic underwear ads? The models’ comments, of course, are selected from what were probably much longer interviews. What did the editors likely leave out? How well did the selected comments support the project’s purpose? Explain your reasoning.
- The segment for each of the models includes an excerpt from their comments (called a pull-quote). In each case, the pull-quote highlights an important statement, something that is highly meaningful and can stand alone. Read each model’s comments and evaluate the selection of the pull-quote. Are the pull-quotes well chosen? Why? Would you have made any different selections? Explain your reasoning.
- The men who participated in this BuzzFeed project are ordinary, everyday guys, not professional models. Still, they reported enjoying the project and the insights it offered them about their own bodies. Would you be willing to participate in such a project with a group of your friends (either with or without publication later)? Why or why not? Think about it, try to imagine what it would be like to take part in such a project, and then explain your thoughts and feelings.
- In this article, BuzzFeed doesn’t refer to any additional sources, but they could have. Read (or re-read) Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet’s essay in Chapter 20 of your text. Imagine that BuzzFeed wanted to cite that essay for this Calvin Klein underwear project, and select two brief passages that could complement the project. (You may want to think in terms of pull-quotes.)
- Underwear ads that include sumptuous photos of perfect-bodied models are so much a part of our social landscape in the United States that we don’t generally challenge their existence, and we rarely question their effect on our sense of self. What influence do these kinds of underwear ads have on your own body image? Is it positive? Negative? Neither? Would you eliminate these ads from public billboards? From television? From magazines? Write an essay responding to these questions, using the BuzzFeed article as your They Say.
They Say I Blog 
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This article discuses peoples thoughts and opinions on body image. Some people have a difficult time with the thoughts of their body image because the media makes it hard to let people know that you don’t have to look like a model to have a nice body image. The Buzzfeed article states “We’re surrounded by the notion that men are supposed to be tough and have a look to match”. How the media portrays body image seems to lower the self esteem of others. The media makes people feel self conscious just because they use good looking people to model their clothing instead of the average human being. If I could make a suggestion to popular brands and companies it would be that they need to use people who look more like the average person rather than a women with small, skinny legs and a flat stomach or a guy with a six pack as their models. If they used more average looking people then the society would feel more comfortable wearing their clothing and peoples perspectives of a “perfect body image” would change.
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I feel like this article discusses how everyone is different in there own way. Everyone has a different body and shape to there body but people judge. Its not easy to put yourself out there but sometimes its the best thing for you. It goes into detail on how men should look tough be able to defend themselves.
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This article, Me in my Calvin’s, is about how each individual can portray a different scenario and scene for different topics. Everyone is different in their own way. Everyone. Some people embrace their body’s a little more than others, and I do not think that they should be judged or misinterpreted because of something irrelevant, such as body image. This world that we live in today has this “perfect” body image. Unfortunately not everyone has the same idea or picture for the “perfect” body image. I believe that you should be confident and do whatever makes you happy. The images that I first saw of the group of men was different. They are posing like the need to be serious. They are just posing, they are not being themselves. Each individual that is in that picture has his own unique way of being himself, and the photographers are making them have an expression that they want. The guys are also not every size. It looks as if Calvin Klein chose men that are around the same size and did not think over the smaller or larger types of people. When selling a product they get men or women who are skinny and moderate, so people will buy their product. I personally think that if you have commercials, pictures, or even manikins that are overweight or underweight, people who be more respectful of others feelings, and they’d buy that product as well.
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This article, is a discussion about body’s image between underwear models of Calvin’s, and ordinary men. Well,to compare is good, but also can hurt, especially comparing with a model when you don’t have a good body shape as a model. Modeling is a model’s job. They have to have a good look and sexy shape. The purpose is to use their good looks with underwear to stimulate the shopper’s visual sense, and trying to show shoppers, how good you will look you if you wear this underwear. Just my opinion, the shoppers always like to add the models shape to their own body when they were shopping. Which I understand. People like to have a good body image, but if you don’t have one, you shouldn’t let it bother you. Everybody has their own body image, and we should always love our own. We can be sympathetic, but should not compare.
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I think that Dan had the best attitude going in and coming out of the photo shoot. He knew that there was no way at all that he could like any of the models. He knew that he could only be him and that was fine. In the end he loved the way his photo came out. He didn’t look like the model, but I think that is what he liked so much about. He was able to actually have fun and not worry about if his pose was just right.
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This article compares the ordinary person with underwear models, how underwear models looks, affect the average person self esteem by putting women expectation on men to be very high. In my opinion this is an excuse men put up to not work out and get a good posture, The only way to boost self esteem is to work on something that’s making you not confident and try to stop it, not to say it OK to have this thing in my life. That is just pure laziness. if there is anyone just complaining about way underwear models are attractive, its because they make the underwear look good instead of the average person which will make it look disgusting.
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The purpose of this project is to show people that it is okay to be yourself and that everyone is differnt. It displays humanity in every way.The pull- quotes in each segment was very phenonmenal. You began to see that each model had began to see themselves from a different perspective, they had insecurities, but they began to enjoy it. Now, me personalyy would not want to participate in a project such as this because i am not as confident and i do think that i would look pretty good in a photshoot, especially with wearing just underwear. I believe that these particular ads are in a way both positive and negative. The positivity comes from sales and believe it or not i do think that many people do look up to these men in these magazines. Many people may take this as an opportunity and are willing to change themselves by living a healthier lifestyle. On the downside i would say that the negativity would come from the influence and the image that these magazines may give off to younger generations. I believe that many people take these ads in the wrong perspective and they think that others must look like this to be acceptance to the American society. That fills many generations with the misunderstood minds of natural humanity and that being yourself is indeed okay.
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The article is showing that while these ads with the attractive models are appealing to most, it doesn’t necessarily relate to the demographic. They seem to sell more of a fallacy or dream-like guy that is nearly unattainable. I personally do not have any issue with ads as i feel if you have the desire to look like one of those models it is in your own hands to take the initiative and begin to work towards that goal. Whining about someone being half naked on a billboard is not going to solve your insecurities. Go better yourself and make a change in your life. The goal of these ads is to sell. it is a company and they simply want a profit. Sex sells, it is a very common acceptance. If you don’t enjoy the ads, don’t purchase the product.
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The different pull quotes are well chosen, simply because it contains what the re en-actor feels about the models and how the images portray to them. Each quote is almost heart felt, emotional so to speak. It makes people actually think and almost feel sorry. Kind of like an “Awe” type reaction. Some quotes help you agree with the re enactment models about how its almost like you don’t even pay attention to the underwear, you look at their body and wonder how you they got so ripped. I wouldn’t have chosen any other quotes, they were well picked quotes, and they all had some meaning to them. They weren’t just random quotes that didn’t make any sense.
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This article is mainly focusing on how we are forcing people to strive for unrealistic and impossible goals in terms of body image. The goal of this article was to let people know it is okay to look different and that just because you are not some ripped hunk that you can still be beautiful. I personally believe that it is very silly that we have to remind people that you don’t have to look perfect. Being comfortable in your own body is something we all have to do at some point in our lives. And yes, you should try to live a healthy and active life but that is not the sole purpose of living. Everyone should strive to be happy, and if that means you workout 5 days a week and eat a healthy diet then more power to you.
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I belive the purpose of this article is comparing models to non models, and trying to let everyone know that you do not have to be like the sexy models to be considered nice or cute.You can be wear the same underwear as them and still feel comfortable embracing the fact that they do not look like these models and they are happy about it, i think its a good article because it gets to help the people who are suffering with body issues or the one’s who are obsessed with looking like the models in underwear that its okay to be you, you dont have to be like anyone else in order to be happy.
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The main purpose of this article is to remind those with self-esteem issues, that no one is perfect and we all have something different and unique about us. The men in the articles all have body issues that they are working, or have worked to overcome. To do this, they chose to recreate Calvin Klein ads from the past, and in the process discovered that the body that they were born in isn’t so bad. The project helped the men to see that just because they don’t look like Justin Bieber or Mark Wahlberg, doesn’t make them any less of a person. We all have to learn to love the body and skin that we’re in, and work on bettering ourselves.
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This article is an eye opener for those with the ideal body image! The idea that we must all look a certain way in our society to fit in is is overrated. We should not be judged on what we look like on the outside, but accepted for who we are as people. I think advertising for body image can cause insecurities for those who don’t look like that, but can also motivate people to better themselves and set goals. Our society can be intimidating, but if everyone looked and acted the same we wouldn’t have such a diverse world. High-profile models should be all types of sizes, ages, and cultures. This society has all types of people, which should be promoted more in advertisement the bring the society together so we all feel equal and don’t have to live up to those standards.
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In this article, Buzzfeed discusses Calven Klein’s advertising techniques and wanted to bring awareness to the fact that their models do not represent the average person. Buzzfeed also wanted to bring awareness to the impact this advertising strategy has on self esteem. Although this article makes some good points, I feel that the points are rather obvious and could have been deduced in a much faster,less experimental manner. Of course Calvin Klein isn’t going to use average looking males for their advertising models. Why would they? Calvin Klein, in their advertising, is subtly trying to suggest that wearing their underwear will somehow transform the average Joe into the “superior” male seen advertised. It was not Calvin Klein that said their models were the example of the perfect male specimen, it was society that decided that. Calvin Klein just went along with it. Society’s idea of the perfect form is always evolving. All we have to do is look through history to see this. A plump form, up until relatively recently, was a sign of health, wealtlh, and was considered beautiful. There wasn’t some diabolical underwear company perpetuating that belief, it was society that came to that belief. I think in the article Logan said it best, “You just have to learn to appreciate your own body.”
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This article is an article defending how men also have gender roles that people will always expect from them. This underwear commercial Puts these man that have the perfect body that every one wants and expects men to have, and they use these perfect bodies, which does not even sell underwear because seeing a guy with abs does not make me want to buy underwear, makes me want to go to the gym.What this does actually does is put more pressure on men, make us feel like we need to have these bodies when we really don’t, but we don’t know that, so we put work into something that isn’t even valuable. If money doesn’t buy happiness how can abs make you happy? And its things like these that secretly encourage men roles and makes things even more complicated and hard to be happy in your body. This types of things don’t just go for men only, women deal with it.
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I feel like this article is the best one that they did. I like how they used regulars guys and put them against the models. It makes you feel that there is more beauty in the world than there is in the modeling world.
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The Calvin Klein article discusses body image and what we are taught be. Every one’s body is different and all body types should be represented in Calvin Klein ads as well s all ads.
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The article talks about body image and Calvin Klein underwear.Calvin Klein makes it look like that all men are the same size and all men are not the same size. Men come in all shapes and sizes. Everybody has differnt bodys and everyone comes in a different shape.
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The point of doing this recreation was to show that not everybody has the same body as the underwear models and that’s okay. Feeling insecure about one’s self is normal, well at least to me it is. I’m sure that the underwear models have insecurities of their own. Believe it or not beautiful famous people are more insecure about their bodies than we are. Underwear models have to keep a certain image and by the looks of them it’s probably hard to keep up on. For me, I know I’m very insecure about how I look. It is a struggle for me every day. It may seem shallow, that I worry so much about my appearance but the fact of the matter is that we are judged on appearance.
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The purpose for this article is to show that Calvin Klein doesn’t necessarily portray the underwear for regular men. Buzzfeed wanted to recreate Calvin Klein’s ads with normal people to show the difference between the models and real people. The editors probably left out what the guys said were good about the ads. The quotes that the editors did leave in discredit Calvin Klein for showing such muscular models and making guys feel like they need to look like the models in the ads. By keeping in the quotes from the men that say that they don’t feel like a normal man because of what the ads portray as a human and what the men look like instead of like models.
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1) By recreating these iconic ads done by models and famous actors, they are showing that the things being sold, in this case underwear, are not only made for the elite, such as the models and actors shown. It is also showing that these men can wear the underwear and still feel confident. The comments selected are good, and aim at showing that the men have similar feelings towards the subject.
2) I thought that the pull quotes chosen were good things to take away from the article. I would not have changed the quotes chosen because they are coherent statements, and clearly show what the individual thought about the ads. The quotes are a good summary of the points made by the men.
3) I would be eager to participate in a project like this. By doing something like this, I feel as if I would walk away with a new found confidence, not because I would necessarily look like the models, but by realizing that no ordinary person looks like the models being portrayed in these ad campaigns.
4) The writers of this article could have used Eckert and McConnell-Ginet’s views on how the social world affects children. Children are being raised seeing ideal and perfected bodies all in the media, and when they don’t have identical bodies to the ones being portrayed, many times they become sad, or even self loathing. By creating this project, it shows all people that not having the ideal body is completely normal, and nothing to be sad about.
5) Personally, ads such as these have a negative affect on me. It is hard growing up in a world where ads are so easily available through television and the internet. I see these ads all the time, and I’m always reminded that I don’t share the same characteristics as the people being shown. Instead of eliminating these ads, I would use models that are more realistic, and people who real citizens can look up to and admire.
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This article discusses the feelings of normal everyday men while they were posing in iconic poses in underwear. Their feelings and views on themselves reminds me of women and what the female species has to deal with whether posing for an underwear ad or being the the person who buys the magazines. Articles like these has a sort of empowering feeling to it, letting people know its okay to be yourself, you don’t need look like these chiseled men and skinny and curvy women. That is what modern day is all about now, to be self empowered and okay with the way you look.
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This project ran by Buzzfeed was not necessarily to show that models have unfairly good bodies, but that men can still look at ads and be confident in themselves no matter what they look like. It is unfair to assume that Calvin Klein should higher other people. The models are supposed to be good looking to sell the product easier, and the models are doing anything wrong, rather, they are just doing their job.
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Has no one ever thought that underwear images really aren’t about the person in them? I mean it’s not like the model is being sold the company is showing a product that it’s trying to sell. The only reason the males or females in these ads are supposed to be attractive like they are is because they bring attention from a larger group of people. If a model is overweight not as many people would want to look at them because hey are not as appealing by human nature. On the other side companies use generally attractive models Sheryl because they appeal to a larger group of people and not a specific niche in society. The company is only interested in sales and they gain nothing from what others look like so the chances of there being a hidden agenda are slim to none, yet people still freak out over this “controversy” like it’s all that companies want for their consumers.
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The argument created in this article is that people should not be pressured to have the same appearance as models do to be confident in their own skin. Buzzfeed used juxtaposition in their experiment to compare the appearance of normal people to that of models. With the use of this, the normal men may feel self-conscious, but they all say that they felt pretty confident during the shoot. I agree with the argument put forth in this article because models are so picture perfect because it is their job to appear that way, and no one should feel like they have to look the same to feel good about themself.
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Buzzfeed did a really good job with representing how men may feel about self-image. I always hear a women’s perspective on the matter of body image, but I’ve never really considered how it affects men. All of the Calvin Klein pictures provided for this article showed a type of body that not everyone will fit. I love the quote stating we are more worried about how they got that “ripped” instead of what the company is trying to sell. As you become older you start to worry less about what others may think, but that doesn’t mean the feelings of insecurity fall away. It could be even harder for young men to see these types of images and want to look just like they do. If girls are drooling over a picture of Justin Bieber it can send a message to other guys that they must look like him to get her attention. Overall I appreciate Buzzfeed taking the time to look at body image from a different perspective. I believe companies should advertise with a variety of body types. This shows men and women alike that you don’t have to look a certain way in order to be happy and confident. Everyone is perfect just the way they are and the industry should start to push in a more positive direction.
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In the article, “Me in my Calvins: BuzzFeed on body image and underwear ads” men recreate iconic Calvin Klein photos to show how society imposes standards of beauty. Society has such unrealistic beauty standards for both men and women. Women are meant to be slim but curvy, beautiful, smart, talented, sexy, modest, confident, and perfect all at the same time. Men are suppose to be strong and masculine, brave, chiseled, brooding, smart, talented, confident, sexy, and powerful all at the same time. Society advertises men and women in a way where the ads and photographs do not even match what the model looks like. Models are also known to be living unhealthy lifestyles and putting too much focus on their looks. It is hard for people to feel like they are ever good enough because they constantly see how perfect people are advertised as perfect and what everyone wants in a partner. These real life men recreating the pictures of Calvin Klein show how what society imposes is not the reality. It shows the real insecurities men face and how they really want to look. Men come in all different sizes and they are all attractive in their own special individual way. People need more body sizes in advertising because they way things are advertised now, companies do not advertise the product, but the looks of the model. This way of advertising can be detrimental to peoples self esteem. People see only perfect versions of humans growing up and they strive to achieve the impossible. Everywhere people go they are surrounded by an ideal version of what a man or woman is supposed to look like. This image is unachievable and when people cannot fit the image they want they can feel terrible about themselves and develop unhealthy eating disorders or workout routines.
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Calvin Klein did a great job with this article because they used models against other men and it lets you see the difference. Yes, the models look great but not all men will look like this. Not all men have the same body type. Some are muscular, skinny, fat, hairy, short, tall and etc. I think this lets men still feel comfortable wearing these type of underwear. Men should be okay with how they look and feel because we all know if you are trying to look like the model it is almost impossible. Most of the model pictures are made to look better then they are. This will catch your attention and make you want to go buy these products.
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This Buzz Feed on body image and underwear was a nice change from the women in their underwear. The experience of the men that was in the Calvin Klein underwear compared themselves to the original male models. This is how women feel that look at the models in magazines and the Victoria Secret underwear. None of us look like the models on the bill board and in the magazines. If we were paid to show off our bodies for a living we would probably eat better and exercise more. I like to see the pretty people in the ads, but I wouldn’t want to be one of them. I’d settle for an average body that is capable of doing the things I want to do. Looking good in my underwear is not one of my goals. I personally would like to see real people in ads. Starting with our heroes, physically and mentally challenged people that are a part of our society.
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This project is super cool. I like how the men who participated in this project are not exactly the definition of “perfection”. I have never agreed with Calvin Klein ads, because they give a negative view on regular, every day people. Not every guy has the ripped abs and muscles Calvin Klein ads show. It is not reality. I would definitely participate in a test like this, because I am confident with myself and my body, and would be happy to help other girls be as well. If I were to do a photoshoot like this, I would allow it to go public because what is the point in taking a bunch of pictures if no one is going to see them?
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I agree with the responses that say that ads like these set the standards of an attractive male way too high and cause people to feel insecure about who they are. These ads make most people feel ugly because they are not the model status that are portrayed everywhere, meanwhile most people do not look like these people. I agree that this article is trying to show people that you don’t have to look like these models to look good and feel good about your body. I agree that people should love who you are because your standards are what you set them to be, not what others portray them as. Society places such high standards for men that are unrealistic for most people, and people need to realize it is okay to be different and still be able to feel beautiful in your own body. Overall, I agree that you have to love and appreciate yourself for who you are and not what others think.
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I think that Daniel Kraus is partially right in his notion that the underwear companies are focused on the product they’re selling and not the model in the images. I agree that males and females that companies utilized in ads are usually better-looking because humans’ brains enjoy looking at someone attractive more and will stare at the ad for longer. But I disagree with Daniel’s point about how the Calvin Klein images are not about the model. The viewers almost always notice the model and how attractive they are, no matter what the product is. I think that Matt nailed this concept in the article when he pointed out that Calvin Klein models represent either what you want to look like or the picture of someone you want to date, so when you don’t look like a model you feel ashamed of your body and like no one will want to date you. Humans see these ads unrealistically as goals for what a person should look like. This will continue to happen no matter how much people change. The best way for someone to view the ads is to compliment that person on their body, but also accept their own body for what it is. One side note is that I liked how this article was about men and their self-consciousness about their bodies, because usually society only focuses on women being self-conscious about their physique due to unrealistic models.
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Natiii is mistaken because she overlooks the fact that models are paid to look a certain way, and that is their job. The majority of people, as shown by the six people who participated in the Buzzfeed photoshoot, understand that looking like a model is not a realistic goal. As Dan, one of the models, says, he will never be the model, but being Dan is just fine. This is something that Natiii seems to strongly disagree with; she says that it is pure laziness to accept how you look, but what she fails to realize is the people that obsess over their inability to look like models are often the ones who end up with anxiety, depressions, or eating disorders. By stating that underwear looks disgusting on the average person, Natiii proves the point that Isaac, another model, was trying to make, which was that “Calvin Klein is selling a fantasy with their ads. I mean, they certainly aren’t selling to me.” Isaac acknowledges that he does not have the body of a model, but he says in his final thoughts that he has become a lot more comfortable in his own skin, which contradicts what Natiii is trying to say.
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I understand the point of the Calvin Klein project and appreciate the message that they were trying to convey. They were trying to send the message that looks and body shape are not what is important and that ads should be more representative of the people who are buying the products. However I don’t think that is the point of the ads. They are not trying to make people feel bad about their bodies. I agree with Daniel Kraus when he states that the ad companies’ main goal is to sell the maximum amount of products and make the most money. The companies understand what is going to be appealing to the largest groups of people. The purpose of the ads is to create an image for the brand and to sell the product. It is not to make people feel that that looking like the models is needed. I think that people need to stop feeling as though the large companies are making purposeful digs at other body types. Just because the models look a certain way does not mean they are showing dislike towards other shapes.
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I agree with Leigh. The Buzzfead article about body image creates an eye opening realization, not everyone looks like a model. There is nothing wrong with the fact that Calvin Klein uses models to do their publicity, but these models give men false hopes of body images. All clothing companies advertise with tall, slender, attractive people in hopes that the audience will buy into the fantasy the company is trying to sell. People buy products because they hope they could live that luxurious life that the company is advertising. In my opinion, companies should use models that look like the average person, not everyone is beautiful, not everyone is skinny, not everyone is perfect, but that does not mean that an individual should feel like less of a human because they do not look like the model in the ad for Calvin Klein boxers.
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After reading the article written by the BuzzFeed staff, I completely agree with Catherine’s opinion that Dan had the best attitude. Most of the other staff members felt awkward and insecure posing like Calvin Klein models. They discussed how they felt like they did not look good enough, and were essentially embarrassed with their bodies/photos. Unlike the rest, Dan went in knowing that he does not look anything like the models. He even claimed, “I just wanted to look like me again”, after he gained a large amount of weight. Rather than wanted to look like the models, he just wanted to get back to being comfortable, which he admits is not being in amazing shape. After the photo shoot, Dan even joked about how silly his armpit hair shadow looked. Because he was so comfortable with his body, he was able to enjoy the experience rather than feeling self-conscious.
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I liked how Buzzfeed acted as the whistleblower towards Calvin Klein’s underwear advertisements. It was interesting to see the men’s feedback this time, which shows that women are not the only gender that has to deal with the social pressures of beauty standards. Their response can open the door for many people who have been struggling in the mirror to accept themselves for all that they are. The messages we get from these companies is that men and women should physically look and dress a certain type of way. Learning to accept one’s imperfections, embracing one’s physicality or sexuality, starts with self-love. A person cannot grow up to become someone who fully embraces their body, race and sexuality themselves if they were not surrounded with those examples in the world around them. This article speaks to a wide variety of age groups, directed towards pre-teens and anyone above that age. High schoolers are not the only ones today who face these types of social standards of body image and sexuality. Dealing with those immense pressures are everyday problems that not only high schoolers face but, adults themselves. This article defiantly speaks in regards to all huge advertising companies, such as Covergirl, Victoria Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch and more. I have purchased numerous times from these companies and have felt ashamed about their advertising. While working at Forever 21, my previous job, I would feel a little disappointed for customers they saw the sizing in the plus size section. Even the clothing items in the regular sizes were sometimes too tight or short in what I had thought was my size. I think these are the articles that more of our younger generations need to read and also be aware of the issue that advertisements can do people. If the message is passed on to them, they will be able to outgrow those expectations and standards and create a new society of individuality, with the understanding of self-love and confidence.
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Buzzfeed, a digital media organization who has been taken the internet by storm by creating viral and controversial articles, re-created famous Calvin Klein underwear advertisement with men from their office. The article posted with their project was titled We Re-Created Famous Calvin Klein Underwear Ads and This is What Happened. Buzzfeeds article consisted of the images from six men who participated in this project and their thoughts and feelings about attempting to portray these famous advertisements featuring men with “perfect” bodies. Each man featured in the project has his own section of the article and gives his personal feelings on recreating the advertisement he chose. For this project Buzzfeed wanted to showcase how, like women, men also grow up expected to have ideal bodies and are over masculinized. Each man featured chose his own Calvin Klein ad to recreate and set out with the hopes to show the world once again that no person is the same. This project wanted to allow them to celebrate who they were and have fun attempting to recreate these iconic advertisements.
In creating the project Buzzfeed chose a controversial yet little spoken about subject. In the world today everywhere the constant struggle women face to have perfect bodies is seen. The medias interpretation on women has come into question and has started several different movements to praise and celebrate women of all shapes and sizes to allow women to once again feel body-confident. The bodies of males are not part of these movements. Women are constantly shamed for not looking like the models who walk the Victoria’s Secret runway every year, but it is never brought to attention how body shamed men are for not looking like the gorgeous Calvin Klein model seen in the commercials or posted all over billboards. Men are not thought of as being body shamed, yet the world praises the ideal of an over masculine man. By creating this project, Buzzfeed is allowing men to show they are also over sexualized like women and body shamed in the media for not having bodies like the iconic advertisements they are re-creating. The original advertisements created by Calvin Klein have the same negative impacts on men and their body image as Victoria’s Secret models have for women. Buzzfeed is, by creating this controversial article, allowing men to stand up and say these advertisements give men the same feelings they give women without taking away their masculinity. One of the men who participated stated “Calvin Klein is selling a fantasy with their ads” and another stated that “what they’re selling is unattainable.” While each male did not feel one hundred percent body confident by the end of the project, they all had fun and realized that these images are unrealistic and unattainable in real life situations. Buzzfeed created a window to show men that it is okay to not have a positive body image, and that the media’s representation of men was just as photo shopped and unrealistic as their representation of women. I believe this article created a wonderful way for men to see these iconic advertisements in a new and unbiased way.
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Steven Althouse amongz other Buzzfeed staff collaborated together to recreate famous Calvin Klein ads. In the We re-created Famous Calvin Klein Underwear Ads And This Is What Happened, seven everyday-men, each with different body types among physical characteristics. The goal of the article was to bring more attention to the original Calvin Klein ad and the expectations it sets for the consumers. The men chosen to display the famous underwear in the ads openly admit they weren’t appealed by the ads themselves. Many of them were too self-conscious about their body image, and the expectations set by the men who were modeling for Calvin Klein, were unattainable. All men, like women, are not made with one body type. Nor do they all have six packs and glistening skin. The ad is not only selling the underwear as much as it is selling a stereotype of the body image women want men to have. For many men, like some of the ones chosen to re-create the ad, that could only worsen their self-consciousness.
At the end of the experiment the men explain that it was a fun experience, and even though the ad was not targeted to the underwear, but more by the models image, it gave them a great boost in confidence. One of the questions for this forum asked, if someone’s friends and them would be willing to go through a similar experience. I would agree to do a similar experiment with my group of friends if it meant giving more recognition for the eclecticity of a product. If getting over my own self image for a brief moment would help someone else with theirs, it is worth doing so. These men in the experiment talk about what they were expecting to see in their photos after they were done shooting, and many of them were surprised by what they actually saw.
These men were nervous because, I am sure, they were told it was going to be publicized on a famous website for millions of people to see. That is not something to take lightly. They were able to get over their own conflicts about their self-image for this shoot. The end result is that these underwear were meant for anyone but only sold to whomever felt they could fit the ad’s image.
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I think that if I was to be asked to do a project like his I would have to think really hard. I am not comfortable with my body and taking pictures like that would definitely not help. I think that those men were very strong being able to stand and pose like the famous Calvin Klein models. I know it took a lot of courage for them to do that. Most of the men afterwards had their self-esteem grow, and they began to embrace the way their bodies looked. Calvin Klein always picks the best looking men to use as their models. I have grown up associating Calvin Klein with Mark Wahlberg. He symbolizes the perfect man.
I think that I would be more likely to do it if they were not published later on. I just would not want the whole world to see my body when I am not comfortable in my own skin. It definitely helps that women are able to stand up and do it, it shows that big women can be confident in their own skin. Maybe a photoshoot like this will help me become confident in my own skin. Just as it would anyone else. I don’t think that people should be judged by the way they look on the outside. It is what is on the inside that matters. You should never judge a person on how they dress or look.
I would compare this to all the famous women who have had babies and take pictures of themselves looking perfect and skinny. When in reality that’s not how an average woman looks after having a baby. Yes, it does happen to some women, but not all. And for them to show it off and Photo shop their pictures is wrong. They do not realize that women can get depressed from things like that because they aren’t skinny or because they have stretch marks.
I also think that Calvin Klein should use different races and ethnicities when shooting their photoshoots. I think it would help them make more money and widen their range of buyers. Having skinny muscular men as their only models should not be allowed. I like the re-created pictures of the men better because it shows that men of all sizes can look sexy in these underwear and that not only skinny men do. It gives men a false sense of confidence and can hurt their self-esteem. Yes, I do think that if they had everyday men modeling their underwear, they might get more money and more people to buy their products. And not just physically fight men buying their underwear.
I agree that they do look much better on the physically fit men but not everyone is able to have a perfect body like that. They should expand their models and make them a little less attractive. More like an everyday man and less muscular. Calvin Klein is not just for sexy men.
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I feel the main reason of Buzzfeeds purpose was to put “regular” men, most of which are the main customers for calvin underwear. These men gave a real and honest view of what most of the men out there look like. Society has a tendency of putting unrealistic views out there of what men and women are supposed to look like. I feel the editors of the article left out most of the “fluff” of the interviews leaving the most important statements of the interview. Making it possible for most of the readers of the article to relate to what the men are dealing with.
For some of the pull-comments that the editors chose I feel are very important. Some of them are true statements that you hear a lot of people, not just men, say. Some of the comments are full of emotion and insecurity, which is what most people go through, now, with that being said a few of the comments where just plain funny. I feel that this showed that not everyone feels out of their comfort zone showing their body, that they are okay with who they are. I look up to those people, it’s definitely not always easy.
I believe that this helps the readers relax and not always take their looks so seriously.
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3.I would be willing to do this project now (the swim suit one for women) but if you had asked me to do that a year ago I would not have been so sure about it. One year ago my boyfriend and I started going to the gym on a regular basis and we changed our diets. Even though I have never been over weight by any means I was still uncomfortable with my body and I was ready for a change. Now almost a year later I am making strong leaps towards big goals and I am beginning to love my body again. I would do this project and I would have started it by using pictures from this time last year and comparing it to now and I would have done it for a little bit of a different reason than these men did. I would do this project and proudly show it off to people to prove that anyone can change their outside appearance which can truly lead to a change of how you think about yourself because once you can change your attitude toward yourself your will begin to become a more positive person. Sometimes people have a hard getting motivated to start working out, but I have come to realize that even taking a small step forward is still putting you one step ahead of where you were yesterday and a step ahead of the people still on the couch. I think that this project could be turned into an amazing transformation story for some people and not the kind of transformations where you lose 200 pounds and your whole life is changed but maybe you lose 20 pounds and you feel wonderful and very proud of yourself and that is what truly matters. I think its great that these men were willing to do this photo shoot and I would like to do the same some day for some amazing men and women that choose to make a change and love their bodies again.
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I love that this article shows how everyone has a different body type and we should embrace what we have. Yes, it would be nice to have a “perfect” body, but that’s not an actual reality for most people. It’s obvious that most company’s want to use a person with a great body to sell their products, but how funny is it that most people buying their products have far from the perfect body. It is no wonder that most teens, and adults, have poor self images; most of what they see on daily basis is not is not reality.
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The idea of acting masculine goes hand in hand with having the masculine body we see in the media, that body, they feel, is represented in Calvin Klein ads so they picked a famous CK ad and attempted to recreate it to celebrate their own bodies and to have a little fun reminding everyone that people come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
I feel like the editors let out any commentary from the original CK models because it would take away from the overall effectiveness of the article.
I think the comments pretty much made the other 50% of the article because you not only get insight from the pictures but also from the “real-life” models inside of them and what its like to be featured but also to be a regular guy or non-celebrity.
Images like this tend to feed both a fashion/lifestyle standpoint but also a fitness standpoint. On one hand it makes me feel insecure about my own body and makes me feel like I need to achieve something that is simply not attainable and if I didn’t know it wasn’t attainable then I’d ultimately be doing something based on false pretenses and I’d never get anywhere. On the other hand it also encourages me to get out there and put some effort in my physical appearance, so it really depends on what way you look at it. I would say its both a positive and negative influence.
I’m not sure on whether or not I would eliminate them from any media, on one hand it can make you insecure and hold a standard that you believe you need to live up to and on the other hand it could encourage you to do better for yourself, again, it all depends on how you see things. The ad itself is nice to look at but if I had to make a decision, it would be that I agree with one of the models “I think that we just all need to be empowered and find the confidence to feel comfortable in our own skin no matter how big, small, or imperfect we are.”
Underwear ads that include sumptuous photos of perfect-bodied models are so much a part of our social landscape in the United States that we don’t generally challenge their existence, and we rarely question their effect on our sense of self. What influence do these kinds of underwear ads have on your own body image? Is it positive? Negative? Neither? Would you eliminate these ads from public billboards? From television? From magazines? Write an essay responding to these questions, using the BuzzFeed article as your They Say
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BuzzFeed’s purpose of this article was to show that Calvin Klein is not very diverse when choosing there modeling characters. The men that participated in the BuzzFeed modeling are normal and ordinary guys. I am not the kind of person that would participate in something like this but, I totally agree with this. I agree with this because we are in a society where looks are what everyone care’s about and it should not be this way. Everyone should love everyone for what is on the inside not what there body’s look like. Them doing this shows that they should choose a more diverse selection of people to advertise there material to appeal to everyone not just “The fit people”. When they post pictures of the men that are “Masculine” and “Fit” it is a self – esteem dropper because it makes people think man “I wish i could look good”
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In the article ” Me In My Calvins”, 5 guys pose in Calvin Klein underwear. Each guy has different thoughts on how their bodies should look. Each of the pulls I thought represented each guy very well for how they felt wearing these underwear. It gave a lot of new insight that I hadn’t thought much about before. I had always known that women were made to feel like we could never be pretty enough, but I guess that I just never thought that men think like that too. I was glad to see that after it was said and done, the guys were able to realize that their bodies are okay and that not everyone is the same nor are they meant to be.
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I would participate in a project such as this. Doing a photoshoot with a big group of friends is always fun. As long as I am comfortable with what the shoot is going to be then I am okay with doing it. Yes I think that to some people it might intimidate how they look themselves but then for other people like me, it just motivates me to get into better shape.
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The article by BuzzFeed titled, “We Re-Created Famous Calvin Klein Underwear Ads And This Is What Happened” discusses the different thoughts and opinions on body image and how we perceive things. These pictures taken by these men represented that everyone is different and unique in their own way. Everyone embraces their bodies in different ways and has different sized bodies, this article is showing the worlds that there is no “picture perfect” body that exists. It also showed the different styles of advertisements, I think these companies only picture people who look to be perfect so that sales will increase and more people will buy. But, I think ordinary people do not look like that and we should start advertising things that ordinary people can relate to. The article is showing that while these ads with the attractive models are appealing to most especially the opposite sex, it doesn’t necessarily relate to the demographic and that is what needs to change. These companies seem to sell more of a fallacy or dream-like guy or girl that is nearly unattainable and usually photo shopped. This article also wanted to show audiences that it is okay to be yourself and have confidence in your body, this shows people that everyone is different. We should not focus on the way society wants us to look so we fit in because then a person will never be fully content with themselves. Buzzfeed wanted to show its audiences that models do not represent the average person and they wanted people to not have self-esteem because everyone is different. It is important that we do not live up to the expectations society has put around the way we look, because this can cause levels of stress and even depression. These advertisements are being sold to the public to think a certain way and it is important that we do not fall for it.
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I do live in a world where ads show off the “perfect” male body and the perfect female body. making the ones that dont have the exact same body type feel like they’re not worthy in a way, to show off there body to the public. its the same way with masculinity. they talk about in the buzz-feed blog that sometimes guys have to have a certain level of masculinity. and showing anything else would be considered weird or not normal. i agree with this completely. sometimes when im home alone i like to cross my legs while watching tv. but in public i stray away from doing such a thing because that is seen as feminine.
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