AskMen’s Top 10 Signs You’re Not an Alpha Male seems to be an attempt at combining features of an enlightened man with some traditional male gender stereotypes with the language of The Hangover.
Some folks over at AskMen must be pretty scared that the Alpha Male is a dying breed in need of defending. The piece reads like it’s the result of a focus group held with a bunch of marketing execs all trying to re-brand the saber-toothed tiger of the male gender – who also happen to be Ask Men’s target audience, from what I can tell. In an End of Men world, perhaps the AskMen folks have wised up to the fact that the term “alpha male” is pretty outdated and has some negative connotations. It’s pretty transparent that this piece is trying to say: “Look! It’s okay! Alpha Men aren’t just brutish frat boys who order women around! We represent the friendlier, less aggressive, 21st Century Alpha Male!”
The goal of this piece is to produce a perfect hybrid model for men to follow in 10 simple slides. I think. I’m actually mostly just confused about the purpose of this slideshow. Are men supposed to model their behavior after this? Think about the slideshow the next time their date/girlfriend/wife pulls out her wallet to pay? Maybe someone else can clue me in here.
The design and headline of the slideshow are also confusing. The headline announces it’s telling you what NOT to be, but spends a lot of time detailing what some men are. The reader has to constantly switch between thinking about the short description and then questioning if that is or is not the model to follow. Sometimes this includes even checking the headline at the top to remember where “not” comes into play again, and then going back through the description and, well, you see… There’s an awful lot of scanning required to understand what this slideshow is pointing out.
Maybe this is a sign of the fact that I’m definitely not a male, much less an Alpha Male, but I don’t really understand the use of all the Seinfeld clips in this slideshow. The show has been off the air since 1998. It’s no longer a relevant cultural touchstone in my book. I do have to note that most of the boyfriends I’ve ever had have been fans of the show and it’s definitely my female friends who find is less than amusing. While I don’t consider myself firmly in one camp or the other, I still question the use of it in a current media piece. Maybe I’m just underestimating the long-term insight from the writers of Seinfeld.
Overall, this slideshow is sort of fascinating. What do others think? What is the purpose of producing pieces like this? What about the combination of “rules” that are stated? Does anyone take this seriously? Is this the male equivalent of the inane lists for women published in magazines like Cosmopolitan?
(photo courtesy of ThinkStock)