Engineering masculinity: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of trans masculine embodiment in magazines for trans men

Abstract

Masculinity studies has been slow to explore trans men's lives including how trans masculine embodiments are represented in the media. In this article, we examine how the masculinities of trans men are represented in the context of sport through two issues of two print magazines specifically targeting trans men audiences: The Jock Issue of Original Plumbing and The Sport Issue of FTM Magazine. Through combining body-reflexive practices and gender as a social structure in our trans gaze framework, our multimodal critical discourse analysis reveals that trans masculinity is presented as hegemonic, diverse, reflexive and subordinated within the micro, meso and macro levels of social life. As trans people continue to experience social marginalisation that adversely impacts on their health and wellbeing, how they are represented within the media – particularly by those media specifically targeted towards them – is important to examine and recognise.