Abstract
This article suggests that because during the Second World War, legions of women, for the first time, could legitimately be employed, this economic freedom facilitated a freedom to create a new kind of masculinity - that of the butch. These butches dated femmes, a new kind of woman. This type of coupling was apparent in urban culture, but was not presented on film. This article explores the idea that James Dean, an admitted homosexual, acted in Rebel Without a Cause, as a butch woman, cloaked in the guise of his fictional heterosexuality. This gave heterosexual men the permission to learn the new masculinity that had been created during the war - by butch women. Dean is the perfect butch for Judy (played by Natalie Wood), except he is male - or is he? Is it a coincidence that Hilary Swank’s Oscar-winning role in Boys Don’t Cry was frequently compared to ‘a young James Dean?’ What are the implications of Dean’s gender bending? Was Dean a new kind of man - or woman?
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
