Images of Men: Male Sexuality in Sexual Health Leaflets and Posters for Young People

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Abstract
This article presents a social semiotic analysis of the social construction of male sexuality in the images of sexual health posters and leaflets for young people aged 13 to 19 years old. It explores how male sexuality is managed at a visual level in sexual health leaflets and posters, and examines the notions of masculinity, gender and sexuality which inform the imagery in them. The analysis of the main structures of the images in which meanings are encoded reveals a conventional representation of male sexuality. Sexual health leaflets and posters aimed exclusively at young men present a more positive and complex image with regard to some aspects of male sexuality, in particular sexual responsibility and sexual competence. Nonetheless, I conclude that the images in sexual health promotion leaflets and posters reinforce the dominant ideology of masculinity and fail to address the gap between young men's realities and cultural norms of masculinity.