Teenage boys have only two kinds of role models in the media: slackers and superheroes, according to a new study from the University of Massachusetts.

Professor Sharon Lamb studied 674 boys ages 4 to 18 years old in terms of male role models they saw in movies, on television, and in reading materials. Dr. Lamb said she found only two:

• The superhero: Someone who shows their masculinity through power over other people, through exploiting women, showing their wealth, and through sarcasm and superiority.
• The slacker: ''The pot-smoking smelly guy who hates school."

Dr. Lamb believes the superhero is harmful to boys.

"There is a big difference in the movie superhero of today and the comic book superhero of yesterday," she said. "Today's superhero is too much like an action hero who participates in nonstop violence: he is aggressive, sarcastic, and rarely speaks to the virtue of doing good for humanity."

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association.
 

Labels: boys, influences, media

Posted By: Jane St. Clair