So You Think You're Superman?

My research paper is about the stereotypes of males in the movies. So far what I have found from my research is that the abilities and traits in the movie are not always false, but rather just really exaggerated. Producers make guys do superhuman things and give them exaggerated masculinity. After some research I was curious to how this affects guys in “real life” Did they realize that this was all fantasy or did they strive to be like what they saw in the movies. I was also curious if the portrayal of guys in the movies was any influence to the standards that girls set for potential male companions. After the two interviews I conducted with a “normal” girl and a “normal” guy I was somewhat surprised that the answers I got supported the thesis of my paper. While both admitted to realizing that things that appear on the big screen are very different than in reality, the male admitted that after going to see an action film, he has a desire to do some of the things shown or even just inspired to go to the gym. He doesn’t think that the appearance of the male is so hard to accomplish and he could look like that too if he wanted. When asked if he thought that girls set their standard based on what they saw in the movies he said that to some extent he thought they did. My “normal” male expressed how he felt that sometimes a girl expects him to know the perfect thing to say or expect him to never make a mistake. In reality mistakes are made…ops. In the movies when a male makes a mistake it turns into something great that is beneficial to the plot. Doesn’t really happen that way! I found that part he was talking about very interesting. The “normal” female that I interviewed was a little ashamed to confirm the guys claim that she can’t help but to build this idea of the “perfect” man. Her prince charming…that will be gorgeous and flawless. So basically what it all comes down to is that although what we see in the movies is acknowledged as fantasy, it does subconsciously influence the way we react to reality.