The Marlboro Man, who really was? For those old enough to remember the television cigarette commercials that featured him, the Marlboro Man was the undisputed stand-in for the great American manly man. This cowboy figure captured the essence of the ideal American man. He was tough and weathered, a man who appreciated a hard day's work. The Marlboro Man wore a cowboy hat, rode a horse, and his clothes were covered in dust. He was part of the American zeitgeist for nearly fifty years, until the government banned television advertising for cigarettes in 1972. Yet the stereotype of the American male lives on in his person and in many of the new advertising symbols. These icons unfortunately are the de facto role models that many young American boys look to for guidance in being a man. While there have been many role models of the quintessential American man depicted on television and in films that boys aspire to be, many, if not all depict a one-dimensional man. It would be much better if there were a series of icons that showed that there is no one way to be manly. Because the boy who grows up allowed to be fully himself will grow up to be a better man. When boys struggle to fit into a limited image of what a man should be, such as those portrayed by the media, a great disservice is done. to these guys. It is much better to show boys how to become human beings who are male than to grow up as men. Kids who are given the chance to grow up with all their characteristics will serve the world better than any one-dimensional TV hero. Looking back at my childhood, one thing is clear; I knew and followed many rules about how to be a boy. These rules came from many sources. Perhaps the most pervasive and......middle of paper......and bending society's rigid gender rules. They need to see that there are men who are nurses, women who are firefighters and boys who know how to cook. Boys will particularly benefit from meeting adult male role models who exude masculinity in a genuine and expansive way. When they feel like there is no one way to be manly, boys will develop self-esteem and confidence in who they really are. It's important to let them know that no matter who they are and what they like to do, they are actually real boys and will become real men. So go now, Marlboro Man. Your time has come; once and for all leave us alone. Works Cited Palmer, P.J. (2000). Let your life speak: listen to the voice of your vocation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Pollack, W. (1998). Real kids: saving our children from the myth of childhood. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.