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Despite the prominence of superheroes in the current cultural landscape, there is little research on the influences of these characters on boys' and men's notions of masculinity. In the current study, we examined the associations between emerging adult men's recollections of superhero imaginative play and superhero wishful identification during childhood and their consequent body image and gender beliefs in young adulthood. Based on a sample of 616 undergraduate men (M age = 19.16, SD = 1.18) from two universities, the results indicated that childhood superhero wishful identification was a predictor of both body image outcomes (the internalization of media ideals for male appearance standards and self-worth based on physical appearance) and endorsement of traditional masculine norms. Although superhero imaginative play was not a consistent predictor of body image or gender beliefs, counter to our predictions, this variable was negatively related to traditional masculinity norms. Public Significance StatementThe present research suggests that idolizing superheroes during early childhood was associated with more traditional beliefs about masculinity and stricter, media-based ideals of attractiveness, but imaginative play was related to less traditional beliefs about masculinity. Based on this research, parents, caregivers, and educators might encourage children to engage imaginatively with superheroes, but they might also need to intervene to temper idolization.

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This chapter examines the role of three medium types—television and films, music and music videos, and pornography—in the sexual socialization of emerging adults. For television/films and music/music videos, researchers have found that increased exposure to both is associated with more gendered sexual beliefs and more sexually permissive attitudes and expectations. There is also evidence that exposure to mainstream television and movies is related to a variety of sexual behaviors, including age at sexual debut, sexual experience, and risky sexual behaviors. The literatures on music/music videos and pornography share a common interest in sexism, reporting that both types of media exposure are related to sexist beliefs and lax perceptions of sexual aggression. Pornography consumption is also correlated with more negative body image and higher relational dissatisfaction, which have consequences for the quality of emerging adults’ sexual experiences.

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