GQ Magazine launches The Gentlemen’s Fund for 2009 – GQ wanted to gauge current attitudes and thoughts about the definition of a gentlemen today.
The 21st Century Gentleman Study examines both men’s and women’s opinions on cause-related actions and charitable giving. According to the study, the idea of a gentleman has noticeably changed over the years. With the participation of over 1,000 men and 1,000 women, the study found that the overwhelming majority of men (67%) feel that it’s more important to behave as gentlemen today. And, both sexes think the highest compliment for a man is to be called a gentleman, beating smart, funny, successful and handsome by a large margin.
Both men and women named George Clooney, as the man they think is the personification of a gentleman today. President Barack Obama ranked second on the list of gentlemen icons of today, while Hugh Jackman and Brad Pitt rounded out the top four in the survey. Denzel Washington, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Will Smith also made the top 10 lists of both men and women. Social responsibility is a common characteristic for all of these men – noted as the embodiment of a gentleman today.
Both men and women overwhelming thought that Cary Grant was the embodiment of a gentleman 50 years ago, and cited President John F. Kennedy, Sidney Poitier, Frank Sinatra, Clark Gabel, Jimmy Stewart, and Paul Newman all in the top 10.
The study found that the James Bond character may still be seen as the ultimate embodiment of a gentleman. Sean Connery was the only man to be cited as both a gentleman icon today and well as a gentleman icon of 50 years ago. The newest James Bond actor Daniel Craig, made the men’s top 10 gentlemen icons list, but didn’t make the women’s.