FEATURE11 September 2017

He’s not the man he was

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FMCG Features Impact Trends UK

UK – The image of British – and global – male identity is shifting, in particular among millennials. This opens up opportunities for brands to connect with them in different ways. By Jake Goretzki of Crowd DNA  

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Male identity is hot right now, in and beyond the market research sector – from UK grime and hip hop artist Stormzy’s musings on male mental health, to comedian Robert Webb’s forthcoming book How Not to Be a Boy. At Crowd DNA, we’ve developed a close interest in masculinity through working with clients seeking to remain relevant to a young male audience – in an age when men aren’t the ‘lads’ they were a decade ago. 

Of course, the debate about what makes a man isn’t new (remember the ‘new man’ and the ‘metrosexual’?), but it is especially visible today.

For Generation X-ers, often raised by feminists and moisturising since their teens, opining on male dilemmas still feels uncomfortable, frankly. We live in a patriarchy. Power is male; wealth is male; and the UK pay gap grants men a 9.4% bonus over women. Outmoded ideas of men as promiscuous risk-takers and women as meek and emotional remain ubiquitous. ...