Bro-culture Norms Displayed in Popular Culture:

Blue Mountain State vs. Friday Night Lights

Communication Research Methods

Elizabeth Ristau
Winona State University

This paper will cover several aspects of Guyland and the ever-growing
trend of bro-culture, specifically how it is portrayed in the media.
Because there is not a lot of research on this topic, this paper attempts
to understand and explain what the bro-culture is all about. In attempt
to understand Guyland, I will look at the media coverage of bro-culture
and their social norms. I feel that this topic is a developing concern for
young boys growing up in our society. They are being raised in a world
where they believe it is acceptable to party all the time, get with as
many women as possible, and ignore their responsibilities.
Social norms include the behaviors and cues within a society or
group. The sociological term is defined as the rules or guidelines that
a group or culture uses as judgment for appropriate or inappropriate
values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors (Norm (sociology), 2015).
These rules can be implicit or explicit and can involve things like
relationships, academics, school, sports and friendships. People tend
to think there are gaps between their behavior and "normal" behavior,
usually overestimating the alcohol and drug use and sexual behaviors
of others; sometimes these norm gaps cause dissatisfaction with one's
own behavior and can cause pressure to adhere to the perceived
norm (Pariera, 2013, p. 1).
Bro-culture refers to the characteristics of the males in Guyland,
such as their clothing, actions, saying and the activities that they are
involved with. The media encourages this Guyland behavior and the

bro-culture, which makes it seems as if it is okay to participate in.

Pluralistic ignorance is sometimes a tenet of social norms theory
which states, our behavior is influenced by incorrect perceptions of
how other members of our social groups think and act" (Pariera, 2013,
p. 1). Bro-culture is supported in media forms like video games,
television shows, movies, and the music world (Kimmel, 2008, p. 145).
The purpose of this research is to explain how the bro-culture
and Guyland culture exists in our world. Michael Kimmel, (2008) the
author of the book Guyland, shares that Guyland is an unmapped area
with its own rules and limitations. Kimmel coined the term Guyland. He
describes it as a stage in a young males life between adolescence and
adulthood, where males spend an unregulated amount of time. Guys
go here to escape the demands of their parents, their girlfriends, their
kids, and their jobs (Kimmel, 2008, p4). In a way this Guyland media is
seen as an escape for these young males to feel something real,
something other than the typical pattern they are supposed to follow:
school, job, marriage, family, and then death (Kimmel, 2008, p. 164).
Google defines a bro as a young male who primarily socializes
with his male peers, who all partake in lively and unintellectual pursuits
(2015). Urban Dictionary (2014) defines several different aspects of a
bro; a bro is usually being obnoxious at parties, and more often than
not can be seen making an ass out of himself. When they arent busy
doing that they are typically seen standing around holding red solo

cups, waiting for something crazy to happen so that they can yell an
expression that shows everyone just how much they love to party
(Urban Dictionary, 2014). These bros are usually seen wearing a
rugby shirt and a baseball cap. Its not unusual to see them sporting
spiked hair with some frosted tips; imagine Thad Castle from Blue
Mountain State, or 90s Justin Timberlake, and Lance Bass.
Wikipedia (2014) has a different idea of what a bro is compared
to the previous definitions listed, but it is similar. The bro subculture is
a male youth subculture full of typical guys guys who spend their time
partying in very similar manners. A popular image of a bro is a fratty
white masculine guy, who usually wears a baseball hat, either an
oxford shirt or sports team t-shirt with cargo shorts and either sandals
or Sperrys (Wikipedia, 2014). The Telegraphs definition of a bro is
similar to Google and Wikipedia, an obnoxious male often seen at
college parties (Wright, 2013). Another definition, by Jezebel (2014)
describes bros as an adult males whose social life almost completely
revolves around collegiate homo-social bonding and whose life
conforms to the lifestyle of other bros. Most bros have ascended
into the pop culture sanctuary as a result of white kids trying to be cool
by mimicking black slang (Maladay, 2014). While there are several
different definitions of a bro, they are all very similar. For the purpose
of this project the definition of a bro will be a college-aged male whose

life revolves around partying and copying his fellow bros activities;
those activities include but are not limited to sports and video games.
The use of the term bro is expanding, as it no longer just
applies to the white bros in fraternities, and almost anyone can be
considered a bro in one way or another. Bros need their peers to
believe in the same things they do, partake in similar activities that
they do and laugh at each others jokes, as ways of implicit approval.
They need this approval in order to maintain the aspect of being cool
and fitting into the bro world, and they feel as though they are making
up the rules of Guyland along the way. But the rules are that there
really are no rules; they play countless hours of video games, post
pornographic pictures all over their rooms and spend multiple nights of
the week drinking in excess (Kimmel, 2008, p. 9).
Other cultures and countries have markers or signs of boys and
girls becoming a man or a woman. Jewish males have bar mitzvahs,
and young girls in all cultures become women when they start
menstruating. Most junior high girls obsess about getting their periods
because it is a sign that they truly are women. While most women end
up ruing the day, due to cramps, nausea and overall misery, they are
grateful for it because it is a symbol of their womanhood (Nance,
2014). Theres no sign or marker for the young males in this broculture, they are trying to find a way to grow up and how to become
men. But is this due to the fact that there are not enough good men to

show them the right way (Nance, 2014)? Those in some cultures and
socio-economic classes have their parents around to teach them right
from wrong but for some cultures and classes, they rely on the media
to show them the way to act. More often than not, its bros teaching
other bros the way. But bros just wanna have fun.
So where does Guyland begin? Everyone has heard the
expression Mamas Boy before and thats where researchers say it
begins. Young boys are being pushed and pulled away from their
mothers emotionally, in order to prolong the development of emotions
(Kimmel, 2008, p. 52). Boys in our culture are taught at such young
ages to suppress their emotions and never show vulnerability.
Kimmel often gets the response, what is the rush? Demographers
found five life cycle stages, which were seen as markers of growing up:
leaving home, completing ones education, starting work, getting
married, and becoming a parent (Kimmel, 2008, p24). Kimmel (2008)
shares that these markers were reached at rather similar ages when
this research was first started in 1950 but the ages for these markers
are reaching an increasingly higher age. Kimmel even noticed these
events happening later in his life compared some of his comrades. In
1960, 77 percent of men under the age of 30 had reached those
markers, while in 2000; only 31 percent of men had reached those
markers. Consider how men are treated in shows like Everybody Loves
Raymond or According to Jim. Their wives treat them as if they are

idiotic. They are seen as if they cannot do anything for themselves,

they are not aware of whats going on in their childrens lives and they
are seen begging for sex. Kimmel (2008) asks where the fun in that is;
who is in a rush to grow up for that kind of life?
One of the most joked about groups in the American culture
continues to be gay men. The release of the movie Brokeback
Mountain in 2005 has been used as ammo and is the center of gay
jokes for a homophobic audience. Seth McFarlane, comedian and
creator of Family Guy, includes these jokes in Family Guy episodes. He
tries to make it seem okay by saying that we are suppose to be
laughing at the stupidity of the main character, but not everyone in the
audience realizes this (Keith, 2011). The good news is that the media is
slowly tolerating and accepting homosexual relationships. It is
important to note that Guyland is not just an American cultural
problem; young British and Australians males are exhibiting some of
the same behaviors, as well as some males in France and Italy
(Kimmel, 2008, p. 13).
Even within the military the bro-culture exists. Kayla Williams
was a linguist who was amongst 20 other troops, all of whom were
male. Slowly she felt that they were including her more and more.
While they would throw rocks at each other, they started to throw them
at her, specifically at her boobs. She wondered if this was sexual
harassment or if this was their acknowledgment that she was one of

their own. She questioned if it was exclusive or inclusive. One night she
was on her way to relieve a guard on duty, while doing so he grabbed
her hand and pulled it near his crotch; it then appeared to her that he
had pulled out his penis. After trying to get her to sleep with him, or at
least give him a blowjob, he gave up and left (Sorcher, 2013, p. 1).
When she reported this to her other troop members, she got no
support. All she heard was what do you expect? You joined a mans
world. Why would you try to ruin a mans career?
Young men aged 16-26 are the most avid users of this new
media, which includes the following; video games, consoles, CDs,
DVDs, MP3s, television shows, movies and online technologies
(Kimmel, 2008, p145). Kimmel (2008) also shares that Guyland is one
of the biggest consumers in the entertainment industry. These young
males feel pressured to be polite, respectful and socially acceptable
while they are in the public eye. When it comes to creating television
shows and choosing television shows to watch, referred to as Guyland
media, they are allowed to re-enact or re-create everything that they
feel like they have lost. They feel like they have lost entitlement,
control, unchallenged rule, the right to be gross, offend others and the
right to be politically incorrect (Kimmel, 2008, p160). Not all of the
young males that Kimmel (2008) interviewed are guilty of falling into
this Guyland media; one young male admitted that two of his favorite
television shows are SpongeBob Squarepants and Jimmy Neutron.

Bro-culture exists in our music world in several different genres,

more so in rap (called bro-rap) and in country (called bro-country). Bro
rap is a subgenre of hip-hop that has developed within the past couple
years; this type of music covers things that a bro would like to hear
about like binge drinking and bitches (MacKall, 2012). One of the most
recognized bro songs is I Love College by Asher Roth. This song covers
a bros basic night, with the lyrics; That party last night was awfully
crazy, I wish we taped it. I danced my ass off and had this one girl
completely naked. Drink my beer and smoke my weed. But my good
friends is all I need. Pass out at three, wake up at 10. Go out to eat,
then do it again, man I love college (Google Play, 2015, p. 1).
Similar to the escape or freedom that these young men feel with
re-enactment or re-creation of their television shows, they also feel
that way with their music. Men and women have very different roles in
the music world, particularly in the rap world. Women are supposed to
be seen as submissive and sexual. Men should always be seen as in
control, physically powerful, and having as many sexual partners as
possible. The lyrics are often degrading towards women; this can be
seen in Juelz Santanas song Make it Work for You. The lyrics are girl
let me show you how to strip, how to get that dick, dont give back lip.
Bro-country is also a subgenre that has been called out for its
contribution to bro-culture. When one think of males in country, most
people think of the country bros like Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, and

Luke Bryan. These bro-country lyrics usually consist of girls with tan
legs, girls sitting in the front seat of their trucks and driving on the
back roads. The latest hit song Girl in a Country Song, written and sang
by Maddie and Tae, points out the bro-country within many songs. Girl
in a Country Song makes fun of other country songs, which refer to
women as pretty little things in string bikinis and are only there for
men to use on the weekends (Gibson, 2014). The music video for Girl
in a Country Song features a role reversal in which Maddie and Taes
male friends are wearing short shorts and high heel boots.
It has been said that in the ideal world, women are not included,
except for sex (Nance, 2014). Hugh Heffner says that women are sex
objects that wear the things they wear, like lipstick and short skirts.
Hugh Hefner teaches others that manhood is defined by virility: which
is the quality of having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive (Keith,
2011). Of course Hugh Heffner knows best; he has all the Playboy
bunnies living with him, hanging out with him and sleeping with him.
But girls are invading just about every area of a mans world, so men
are feeling threatened (Kimmel, 2008, p. 18). Thomas Keith (2011)
hypothesizes that this is where guys feel the need to control women,
because they are threatening their masculinity. So many girls want to
be a part of this bro culture and be considered on of the guys. Even
Jay-Z has been quoted saying that ladies is bros too (Maladay, 2014).

Everywhere we turn in the world there is a bro reference to be

seen or heard. For example the Twitter account Meninist, which mocks
feminism, tweeted; why dont women need watches? Because there is
a clock on the stove! While these young men are feeling threatened,
young women are feeling the same way and are changing the dating
game. More and more women are starting to adopt the same dating
games that these young males are using. Pariera (2013) shares that
men and women overestimate the other gender's comfort with casual
sexual behavior. Jenni Farley, better known as JWOWW from the hit
show Jersey Shore and musical artist Ke$ha are adapting their
counterparts game playing ways. Thomas Keith (2011) relates this
attitude change to the famous saying if you cant beat em, join em.
Instead of hoping to change these young men, these young women are
trying to compete with them. Can you give an example of how theyre
trying to play the same game as the bros?
Popular culture, especially cultural products aimed at young
men, teaches men to be womanizers (Bacher, Bengali& Campagna,
2011). This idea is the thesis of Thomas Keiths film The Bro Code,
which takes a look at how the media and society continually reinforces
sexism in our young men. Thomas Keith breaks down the masses of
media and how they reinforce sexism, this will be touched on in greater
depth later in the paper. The reinforcement of sexism can be seen in
television shows like Jersey Shore and movies such as Spring Break.

Music videos such as Blurred Lines by Rob Thicke or Anaconda by Nicki

Minaj also reinforce sexism. Everywhere we look bros are playing the
part and women are being sexualized in order to fit into Guyland;
especially with themed parties like CEOs and office hoes or Golf Pros
and Tennis Hoes.
Women are sending mixed messages about what they want.
They are attracted to the bad boy but they also want a man who is
sensitive. The male cant be too sensitive, or else he risks being put in
the friend zone, but history has shown us that the badass guys are
the sexy ones (Keith, 2011). Men and women are both confused as to
what a man should be like. Thomas Keith (2011) points out that women
have been smart enough to realize that they need a social movement
in order to figure this out.
Everything in our world is being geared towards the bros: video
games, television shows, commercials, etc. The creation of false needs
(Jhally, Klin, 1986, p. 27) within the media plays a huge part in the
recent rise in the bro-culture. The creation of false needs is created
through advertisement, which can be seen in the recent Hardees and
Carls Jr. promotional campaigns. Hardees and Carls Jr. commercials
feature sex symbol celebrities doing a variety of activities while eating
one of their burgers. The activities and the consumption of the burgers
have nothing in common in the commercials, except for the fact that
they are getting young mens attention through sexuality and then

throwing a burger in at the end of the commercial. One of the Hardees

and Carls Jr. commercials features Paris Hilton washing a car for
almost a full minute, then they show a short clip of her holding a
burger learning against the oh-so-clean car.
The Kate Uptons version features her at a drive-in theater
promoting the Southwest Patty Melt. She is alone at the drive-in eating
the burger, which has jalapenos in it. As the commercial develops, of
course the jalapenos get to Kate Upton, causing her to get hot and
sweaty. Kate Upton then adjusts her clothing and eventually starts
taking some of her clothing off. She becomes the center of attention at
the drive-in theater as she is projected onto the drive-in screen. In the
next commercial, Heidi Klum plays the role of Mrs. Robinson, the role of
a cougar or one who is trying to seduce someone. She does so in a
slinky black dress while carrying around the Jim Beam Bourbon Burger.
Padma Lakshmi promotes the Western burger, as she sits on the
steps eating the burger, in her somewhat revealing dress, that she
hikes up higher and higher throughout the commercial. She talks about
how the taste of the burger reminds her of her high school days,
sneaking out before dinner to savor that sweet spicy sauce making
sure no piece goes uneaten especially the sauce that keeps dripping
onto her that she so sexually licks up. The commercial ends with the
saying more than just a piece of meat, how ironic. In terms of
marketing, these ads are genius (Niel, 2009). These young males are

immature and have horrible eating habits, so whats better than a

Hardees burger commercial with a hot babe in it?
Thomas Keith, producer and director of The Bro Code: How
Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men, breaks down the bro-culture
into four categories. Those categories are training men to womanize,
immersing men in porn, making rape jokes and, lastly, obeying the
masculinity cops. Thomas Keith (2011) says that he grew up in the broculture, though he did not realize it until he was older. Keith realized
that he, at the time and almost every guy he knew, viewed women as
being there for their enjoyment. He says that that is sadly still the
trend today and it is becoming a destructive trend.
The first category that Keith (2011) covers is training men to
womanize. James Bond and Tony Stark are perfect examples; they are
rich, charming, powerful, and every man desires to be him. They are
ever so smooth with their pick-up lines. In the movie Iron Man, Tony
Stark is asked this question by a young attractive woman ever lose an
hour of sleep in your whole life? To which he responds Im prepared
to lose a couple with you. That one smooth pick-up line gets Tony
Stark laid. Most people think of womanizing as a man whose actions
revolve around getting sex, but there is more to it than that. It involves
privilege and power along with a sense of entitlement. In the 1999
movie Magnolia, Tom Cruise plays self-help pick up artist and sexist,
who speaks to the crowd

Respect the cock! And tame the cunt! Tame it! Take it on
headfirst with the skills that I will teach you at work and say no!
You will not control me! No! You will not take my soul! No! You
will not win this game! Because its a game, guys! You want to
think its not one, huh? You want to think its not? Go back to the
schoolyard and you have that crush on bit-titted Mary Jane.
Respect the cock. You are embedding this thought. I am the one
whos in charge. I am the one who says yes! No! Now! Here!
Because its universal, man. It is evolutional. It is anthropological.
It is biological. It is animal. We are men! (Keith, 2011).
How are men learning to womanize? The answer lies within
reinforcement of that behavior through the media. While MTV used to
be about music, it is not all about the ratings. The highest ratings are
received by testosterone driven images of drunkenness, brawling and
drunken sex. Jersey Shore is the perfect example of this. One of the
shows main characters, Ronnie says Beers, bitches and the beach,
thats all you need to know about the Jersey shore, I dont know what
love means (Keith, 2011). Ronnie also shares that all you have to do is
take your shirt off and the girls will come to you, like a fly comes to
shit. Jersey Shore is a hit with the teens, and it is awesome for the
ratings. The television show epitomizes the oldest traditional values of
men, which is to get sex and to get it with as many women as possible.
These young men try to score as much as possible, because scoring is

a way that they feel that they are proving their masculinity (Keith,
2011).
Nicole Polizzi, another main character on Jersey Shore, aka
Snooki, says that the boys bring several girls home at night and after
they are done with that particular girl, they switch (Keith, 2011). This
then causes the girls to compete, to see who can be the naughtiest or
the sexiest and allowing guys to take their pick. MTV did not come up
with these ideals, but they are reinforcing the sexist values that have
been around forever. Another problem with this is that people are
tuning in almost religiously to watch the show at alarmingly young
ages. Douglas Rushoff, author and filmmaker of Digital Nation, shares
that the kids are imitating what they see because they aspire to be like
the person that they see in the movies or in the shows (Keith, 2011).
Rushoff notes that it is a spinning feedback loop; kids and teens are
copying what they see on TV and the TV people are copying what the
kids are doing.
Members of Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale University, in 2011, were
seen filmed walking around campus shouting no means yes and yes
means anal (Keith, 2011). USC was also embarrassed by their Kappa
Sigma members, as an email to all members of Delta Kappa Epsilon
was made public. The email explained how the members of the
fraternity were to describe their sexual encounters. The email refers to
women as targets, stating that they are not people like us males. As

soon as pictures of the email went viral, people were defending the
fraternity, saying things like I thought the email was fuc**** hilarious
or frat bros are misogynistic, misogyny is funny, deal with it (Keith,
2011). If you dont measure up to the sports, beer, womanizing
archetype man, then there is a Maximum man waiting and ready to put
you in your place (Keith, 2011). Part of being this strong archetype of a
man is to announce your authority, especially by belittling any male
who doesnt fit this epitome. This is one of the main aspects about the
bro-code, to make fun of those who dont adhere to it.
The second category that Thomas Keith (2011) delves into is
immersing men in porn. The porn industry makes more money than
Microsoft, Google, Amazon, EBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined
(Keith, 2011). Porn is everywhere, young males dont even try to hide it
anymore, with posters all over their walls, and their computer
background and their phone wallpapers are covered with these
images. Boys get their first taste with porn around the age of 12-13;
pornography has become their sex ed. With these images all over in
our world, it is hard for these guys to ignore the messages in this
culture. Our world teaches men that women love to be objectified
sexually, and that when she says no she is flirting or teasing you and,
that she always wants it (Keith, 2011).
Their obsession with pornography is becoming a huge problem.
Rory Reid who has his PhD in psychiatry and behavioral science says

that their have been several situations where men cannot become
aroused by their real partners, only pornographic images or videos. In
certain cases it has even caused erectile dysfunctions and relationship
issues (Keith, 2011). Men are demanding these sexual acts that they
have seen in these videos from real women, but these acts are painful,
degrading, and uncomfortable and in some cases cause men to
withdraw themselves intimately (Keith, 2011).
John Buttman Stagliano, the inventor of gonzo porn, even has
concerns about where porn is heading. He says, some people like to
abuse other people and I worry we are creating art that feeds on
that, that reinforces that and says its a good thing (Keith, 2011).
Notice how Stagliano says people, he degenderizes the term, removing
the term male from his sentence and placing the blame on both
genders. Critics are saying that porn is just a fantasy, and you
shouldnt take it seriously (Keith, 2011). But it isnt that easy. Michael
Kimmel says that porn is seen as a fantasy, where we should go to
fantasy world and then come back but it becomes a concern when you
cannot separate fantasy from reality (Keith, 2011).
The third category that Keith (2011) analyzes is making rape
jokes, which has become an all too common theme in our culture. Bob
Knight, NCAA Division 1 basketball coach for Texas Tech that said, if
rape is inevitable, one should relax and enjoy it (Keith, 2011). Mary
Koss, researcher at the University of Arizona found that 56% of males

surveyed said that they would commit rape if they were certain they
could get away with it. Gilbert Pete, a case manager at YouthWorks in
Richmond, says that the guy mentality is that I need to get what I
want, by any means necessary (Keith, 2011). Whether that is money,
jewelry, cars or women, men feel the need to have it, as it will
establish their status. Gilbert says that men also have the mentality of
if I see something I gotta keep my mouth shut, I dont want to be
labeled a snitch (Keith, 2011).
The fourth and final category that Thomas Keith (2011) takes a
look at is obeying the masculinity cops. Masculinity cops are the people
who influence young males masculinity, these people can be their
father, mother, brothers, coaches, peers and women. Some research
into sexual behavior suggests that people also tend to place
themselves in the below average range, believing they have fewer
sexual partners and engage in less risky sexual behavior than their
peers. These young men are feeling threatened and as though they
have a ranking lower than their peers, so some of these young guys
are trying to get to the above average ranking in order to fit in and not
be seen as an outcast.
When a mans masculinity is threatened, their whole world is
threatened. Tony Porter, educator and activist, once asked a little boy
how he would feel if his coach yelled at him that he was playing like
girl, in front of everyone. Tony expected the little boy to say that he

would be sad, upset, or even mad but they boys response was that it
would destroy him (Keith, 2011). Tony Porter questions if that is the
young boys mentality, what does that say about the way that we are
teaching our youth about women?
For this research project, television shows Blue Mountain State
and Friday Night Lights will be analyzed via their content, in a coding
scheme based on Michael Kimmels book Guyland. Blue Mountain state
is a comedy on the TV station Spike, which premiered on January 11,
2010. This popular fictional show follows the Blue Mountain State
football team players; mainly the back-up quarterback Alex Moran,
Linebacker Thad Castle and the teams mascot Sammy Cacciatore
throughout their antics. It portrays certain aspects of American
university lifes including football, sex, binge drinking, drugs,
wild partying, and hazing. Friday Night Lights is a television drama,
which aired in 2006 on NBC. The show features a small close-knit town
with a football rivalry, the East Dillon Lions and the West Dillon
Panthers. The shows addresses issues like racism, drugs, family and
moral values, school funding, life and death as well as socio-economic
issues. I chose these two shows because they are some of the most
popular shows within the past ten years, which show opposite
behaviors when it comes to teen males.

H1: The bro-culture portrayed in the television shows Blue Mountain

State and Friday Night Lights show opposing behaviors, both of which
are targeted at young men.

The purpose of my project is to explain how bro culture or Guyland

exist in our world today and how the media portrays this behavior as
acceptable; as it is shown as normal or as the cool way to act. The
main issue that I will be looking at is how Guyland or bro-culture is
portrayed and encouraged in our media. Bro subculture is defined as
a male youth subculture of conventional guys guys: who spend time
partying in ways similar to each other. While without a consistent
definition, the popular image of bros is a fratty masculine type,
predominantly white, and associated with frayed-brim baseball hats,
oxford shirts, sports team t-shirts, cargo shorts, and boat shoes or
sandals (Wikipedia).
The Telegraphs (2013) definition of a bro is similar to the ones
listed above: as an obnoxious male often seen at college parties.
Another definition of bro, provided by Jezebel is; an adult male whose
social life revolves around collegiate homosocial bonding and who also
presents himself in a way that assimilates to the prevailing aesthetic of
men with similar socialization patterns. Bros ascendance into the pop
cultural pantheon was mostly due to lots of white kids trying to seem
cool by emulating black slang. (Maladay, 2014). For the purpose of this

project, my definition of a bro will be; a college aged male whose life
revolves around partying, hanging out with fellow bros and sports.
The issues that I found within this information is that Guyland and/or
bro-culture is that an overwhelming number of young men are growing
up to believe in these norms; they are rejecting adulthood and the
responsibilities that come along with it. The media portrays Guyland or
the bro-culture as good, and cool, and okay to participate in.

H1: The bro-culture portrayed in the television shows Blue Mountain

State and Friday Night Lights show opposing behaviors, both of which
are targeted at young men.

H2: The bro-culture portrayed in our social norms targets the behavior
and attitude of young men.

Those social norms are then seen as okay and encouraged, changing
their attitude in a negative manner. My operationalization will be
analyzed through content analysis by using two different coding
schemes. When I say social norms I am talking about the behaviors
and cues within a society or group. This sociological term has been
defined as the rules that a group uses for appropriate and
inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules

may be explicit or implicit, which involve things like relationships,

academics, school, sports, and friendships.

PARTICIPANTS
The shows that I have chosen to contextually analyze are Friday
Night Lights, and Blue Mountain State. I will randomly select 5 episodes
of each show to analyze. I chose these two shows because they show
opposing sides of the idea of bro-culture. Blue Mountain State shows
the wild side; partying, girls, drugs and alcohol. Friday Night Lights
shows how to raise your sons right, by involving them in sports and
having good relationships with friends, families and peers in a smaller
close knit town. While these two shows bring to light the different
worlds that young men today can grow up in, they do have one thing in
common; football.

METHODOLOGY
My plan is to compare the ways that bro-culture and Guyland are
portrayed in the television shows Blue Mountain State and Friday Night
Lights. I will be comparing the differences between the two shows
through a coding schemes based on common themes in Guyland. I will
be comparing the two television shows through the Guyland coding
scheme made up of three categories, which are based off of common
themes found in the book Guyland: after practice activities,

relationships with girls and the activities that they participate in at

parties. Guyland covers a wide range of topics like Bros Before Hoes,
the Rite of Almost-men, Boys and Their Toys, and Babes in Boyland and
so many more, but of the most common themes I found there are three
that all of these could fit into, like I mentioned previously; after
practice activities, their relationships with girls and what they are
doing at parties, if they attend parties.
For relationships with girls I will be looking at whether or not they
are positive or negative; if they are hanging out, maintaining
friendships, or dating the girls compared to just hooking up with them,
using sexual language about them, looking at sexualized images of
them and using any language that can be considered degrading
towards women. For the category of after practice events I will be
looking at what the boys are doing with their spare time; the positives
would be if they are with their families, friends or studying versus the
boys spend their time doing things that are not so productive. The third
category is partying activities; whether the boys are partying hard,
doing drugs and alcohol and bring rude or disrespectful versus them
being not so crazy, realizing that they have a practice or a game
tomorrow and being respectful.
PROCEDURES
In order to code these two shows I will be using the coding
scheme mentioned previously; the coding scheme based off of themes

in Guyland. I will first do a pretest with the coding scheme in order to

see if it will actually work. Second, I will first randomly select five
episodes from each show, in order to create minimal biased. After that
I will train my coders, all in a similar manner, as to keep the coding
system and process the same for everyone. Once the coders are at the
level of intercoder reliability that I am looking for, I will also provide the
coders with additional information about this research and examples of
each of the things that I am looking for within each show.
I will do a test run with them, using the show Jersey Shore as it
has similar bro content, in order to see if the coders are ready to look
at Blue Mountain State and Friday Night Lights. I will have my coders
look at two episodes for each of the shows, in order to gain at least the
10-15% needed for intercoder reliability. My units will be each scene, or
when there is in a new location

ANALYSIS
Contingency tables are used when you have two nominal
variables arranged in rows to represent one nominal variable and
columns to represent the second nominal variable, used to display data
for content analysis. This will work for my information because I will be
analyzing how the television shows Blue Mountain State and Friday
Night Lights portray social norms using the coding scheme I have
selected created using characteristics of Michael Kimmels book

Guyland. Contingency analysis is a form of chi-square in which

frequency distributions are created simultaneously on two nominal
variables cases are classified on two variables in relationships to each
other; aka two-way chi-square or two-dimensional chi-square. Using
such an arrangement makes it easy to see how frequencies for one
variable are contingent on or relative to frequencies for the other
variable.

Coding Scheme
Content Analysis Coding Scheme: Guyland Characteristics
Scene:
__________________________________________________________
Guyland
Relationships with girls
Hanging out, dating, friendships
Hookup, sexual language, images, degrading women,
cheating
Outside of practice activities
Studying, watching football film, working out, church,
family
Not doing homework, playing video games/watching
television, rebellious behavior, avoiding family,
performance, enhancing drugs

Blue Mountain State

Partying behavior
Partying, drinking alone of with others, drugs, drunk,
drinking, beer, cold ones, drink in hand, drugs, high
Water, sleep, we have a game tomorrow

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