“Last Man Standing” is Making Men into Machines

Bryan Morrison
Nov 4 · 4 min read

In today’s day and age, we should be beyond the idea that men need to be “manly”. We should’ve realized that there is much more to being a man and a good person than drinking beer and watching football. FOX’s “Last Man Standing”, however, has not progressed in this aspect. The show’s pilot episode constantly reinforces the norm that men must follow the stereotype of manliness, pushing that all men must be the leader of the house and love meat and the outdoors among other “manly” characteristics.

The show features a father as the main character, Mike, whose family consists of his wife and his three daughters. Mike is the main male character in the show and is the stereotype of what it means to be a man. At the beginning of the show, he walks into the house after a business trip holding a fish and proceeds to give a vulgar description of how to prepare and cut the fish to his wife. Immediately, FOX makes a point to show the main male character being outdoorsy and willing to get dirty. They are clearly attempting to demonstrate that a man is someone who is willing to get his hands a little muddy and be out in the wild from the start of the show.

The writers doesn’t stop there with pushing the stereotype that men must love the outdoors. They further advance this idea by having Mike be the owner of a wilderness store named “Outdoor Man”. It is quite obvious that FOX wants to show viewers that manliness is determined by loving the outdoors. Viewers may get the impression that men that do not like the outdoors are not as manly or dignified as the men that do enjoy wilderness. It pressures viewers into expecting specific qualities such as a love for outdoors from men and forces men into following these ideas in order to fit in.

It does not stop there with the expectations of what a man should be. Throughout the show, Mike mentions his love for meat whenever possible. For example, bacon was mentioned at the start of the show and he casually adds, “I like bacon”. Later on, he does it again; however, this time he says, “I love sausage”. Not only does this send the message that men must love meat, but it also isolates the men that do not eat meat like vegans and vegetarians. It is telling these people that they are not men because they do not eat meat which could lead to insecurities and lack of self-esteem.

Worst of all, this show reinforces the norm that a man must be the breadwinner and the leader of the family. The show constantly reminds the viewers that a man should be in charge of the family. He is embarrassed when he is forced to do the “womanly” tasks of driving the kids to soccer practice in his minivan instead of driving to work in his pickup truck. He feels that he is becoming less of a man because he is doing these types of tasks. Thus, viewers may interpret that being a stay-at-home dad is not “manly” and not meeting the expectations of what a man should be.

Furthermore, Mike is ashamed to tell his wife about news that he is getting demoted at his job. Meanwhile, his wife tells him that she received a promotion. This makes Mike feel absolutely terrible given that he is going to be making less money than his wife. Clearly, the show is reinforcing the norm that the man in the family is supposed to earn more income than the woman and should be ashamed if he does not. Mike tends to value money and status in his family which is not a good message to send to viewers. Viewers should be taught that you do not have to make the most money or have a successful job in order to be what they view as a man. If FOX does not change the way Mike is depicted soon, there will be many consequences on the viewers as a result.

In conclusion, “Last Man Standing” portrays men in a way that is harmful and negative. It reinforces the idea that men must be “manly” with them being the leader of the house, being a meat lover, and loving the outdoors. This stereotype will lead to more people believing the notion that men must act tough and manly at all times. If a man is not tough or hard and does not fit these characteristics they are seen as less of a man and abnormal. It leads to men who do not fit these descriptions to feel self conscious and insecure about their manhood, and it causes others to have unrealistic expectations on how a man should look and act. It will force these men to conform into something they are not or be seen as outcasts which exemplifies how FOX must change how they portray males.

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