Men, Meat and Masculinity

What is the first thing you notice when an Arby’s commercial comes on television displaying that high definition burger? Immediately for me, it is the deep, masculine voiceover that accompanies the slow motion zoom into the meat.

Meat is essential in exemplifying how masculinity is so deeply rooted in American culture. This is evident in meat commercials and the male obsession with consuming meat. These “masculine” commercials are enforcing the idea that men need meat to bulk up and this normalizes violence and the killing of other beings for the satisfaction of our tastebuds. 

One man voiced in an interview in regards to hunting for an animal, “ I grab it like I grab my women” This shows that men are showing their admiration for the other by exerting control and dominance over them, which can feed into rape culture. Beings other than men are diminished of their worth and only glorified when focusing on how it can benefit a man. Men focus on the appearance of women and also focus on the heftiness of an animal to see if it’s fit for their pleasure and consumption. Because patriarchy is so ingrained in society, some men believe that life is made for them and they are allowed to do what they want and exert their power and control over any being they please. 

We even have the phrase that Women are a piece of meat in our culture. Not only are we making women synonymous with meat which is typically for consumption. But we are reducing women to parts of their body and not as a whole entity. Society sees them in pieces, just as animals typically are. They are seen in the aspects that benefit them, picking and choosing which they would prefer.

This is typically why vegetarianism and veganism is popular amongst women more than men. There are even some ads that demean tofu and advertise that “tofu is gay meat.” It is seen as weak and feminized. This is how fragile masculinity is, that men cannot even eat certain things without it being linked to their masculinity.  That is so absurd and detrimental. Why do corporations and advertisers feed into this sexualization of women and hyper masculinity to sell products?

Women exist for their own reasons as do animals. Neither women or animals’ existence is to satisfy a man or for their satisfaction. They each have value without the validation of men.

all the love x movesandmountains