In the light of recent studies on gender, we can propose that in male-dominated societies, men are the providers of not only the rules and ideas about how a woman must be but also of the ideas about how a man must be. In mid-1980s, a new sociology on man had started to be pronounced. This situation had evolved as an outcome of the mental and social liberation struggles made in the different waves of feminism. Feminist critiques toward patriarchy and LGBT critiques toward the value and actions of patriarchy had started enforcing the values of masculinity. The alteration in this field is very slow as are other social changes; however, the change is noticeable. This alteration in the masculine mind has started to attract the attention of producers and marketers. Men have started to be evaluated more intently in the media, especially in advertisements. Moreover, it has been observed that this alteration has affected the consumption behaviors of men. Men are now described as ‘consumers’ in many studies which observe men while they are shopping.

According to the Big Dictionary of the Turkish Language Association (TDK), a man is an organism that has sperms to impregnate a female organism. The dictionary does not emphasize the biological gender and simply provides a connotation. Per this connotation, the term “man” is used to describe an organism that is rough, trustworthy, brave, and rigid. These connotations of the masculine gender are valid and associated with masculinity in every culture. It encompasses psychical power, bravery, wisdom, honor, and true acts (Meral, 2011, p. 300). In this context, we can say that besides its biological description, masculinity carries several social connotations.

The term “masculinity” was changed in the second half of the 20th century, and thus, man has become a consumer in the mass media, particularly in advertisements. This alteration in the term “masculinity” has affected men’s consumption behaviors (Bocock, 2009, p. 103). Since the late 1950s, men are not considered and perceived as potential warriors by governments, the business sector, parents, and their friends. This is a big contradiction for men who completed his socialization in the shadow of the two world wars. At that time, the term “man” described an individual having active and potential war powers. In the absence of the conditions of war, the role of men became that of a consumer instead of a warrior (Bocock, 2009, p.104). A man who is not a warrior is now a ‘man consumer’. A man who is not included the consuming is now under the same social pressure as the man who was not a warrior in war periods.

Besides the increase in the number of male consumers, the scope of products targeting men also increased. In the 1950s, the products that targeted men were limited to cars, alcohol, cigarette brands, mechanical tools, and life insurance (Wernick, 1996, p. 83). Men’s clothing sector also can be added to this list although the decisions for clothing purchases belonged to a man’s mother before his wedding and to their wives after his wedding. Men have been used for advertising numerous products, including erotic products. The style of men’s clothing and fashions have been intertwined. Major efforts were made to sell all types of personal care products and accessories, from jewelry to sports implements and from shampoo to deodorant and hair dye to men (Wernick, 1996, p. 83). The results of these efforts can be seen clearly in advertisements.

The magazines FHM, Boxer, Esquire, and Men’s Health were analyzed in the scope of this study. Advertisements occupying one whole page or more than that in these magazines during January 2013–December 2013 were chosen as the research areas. The supplements of the magazines and the advertisements in these supplements were not included in the study. Advertisements that were republished in the magazine similarly were not included but if they were published with a different image, they was included.

The method of this study was decided as “content analysis,” wherein a systematic analysis of written or verbal material was conducted. Content analysis provides an examination of raw data and collections of meaning from archives, documents, and mass media tools to the social scientists (Demirci & Köseli, 2009, p. 344). For the advertisements that will be analyzed with content analyses, a coding schema was developed by using a coding schema developed by Mason (2003) and the advertisements were coded as coherent with this schema.

When the results were reviewed, a particular male type (socially approved, legitimate, and thus consistent with social norms) was found to be presented to the consumers. This image was consistent with the images of males in the magazines described in Erdoğan’s (2011) study, which indicated that male types (socially approved, legitimate, and thus consistent with social norms) corresponding to a particular definition of men are dignified and legitimated by magazines related to men.

When the results were evaluated, it can be said that if male images in men’s magazines are compared with different studies on female images or male images in man magazines in different time periods, better results will be obtained. Furthermore, research that focuses on male images in men’s magazines is thought as leading up to similar studies in the field.