International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 8, Issue 3 (May-June 2026) Submit your research before last 3 days of June to publish your research paper in the issue of May-June.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 8 Issue 3
May-June 2026

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Male Perceptions of Media Influence on Self-Image and Romantic Relationship Expectations

Author(s) Ms. Gopika Nambiar
Country India
Abstract Characters portrayed in media are highly popularized and curated to be admirable and aesthetic, the influence these characters have on the audience can be evidently seen in most individuals. Although the media influence is highly regarded to be one that women fall victim to, it has been understood that men too are influenced by these depictions but have not been studied as widely. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the influence that the media has on not only the self-image of men, but also the romantic relationship expectations they develop due to media depictions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data collected from semi-structured interviews, Masculinity and Physical Ideal along with Breaking the “Perfect Couple” Script emerged as the two major themes. The men expressed the pressure and need to match the stereotypical, well-built body image that is widespread in media as “attractive”, along with also feeling the need to match the masculine characteristics, to be seen as a competent man. They were also open to expressing the high standards they set for themselves in a romantic relationship due to the depictions and expectations. The study highlights the need to understand the pressures men face, trying to match the expectation built and the extent they might go to achieve these standards.
Keywords Romantic expectations, Men, Self-image, Masculine
Field Sociology > Philosophy / Psychology / Religion
Published In Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On 2026-05-02
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.76980
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 1Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 6

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com
Powered by Sky Research Publication and Journals