Forms Of Masculinity Research Articles

Hegemonic Masculinity and its Manifestations in Wajdi Al-Ahdal's Novel A Land without Jasmine

The research aims to discuss the concept of hegemonic masculinity and its influence on societies. It tries to explain the origin of hegemonic masculinity's concept, and how the thinkers, and philosophers discussed this term, and what they wrote about it. It discusses many concepts such as masculinity, patriarchal system and tribal society, and as well as the status of women in the Yemeni society. It also explores aspects of hegemonic masculinity through the events of Wajdi Al-Ahdal's novel A Land without Jasmine. This research is divided into introduction and three sections; the first discusses the concept of hegemonic masculinity, the second explains the hegemonic masculinity and Patriarchal culture in the Yemeni society, the third clarifies manifestations of hegemonic masculinity, such as early marriage and depriving women of education and the conclusion. This research reached many results such as Yemeni society is considered a male-dominated society and the system that prevails in it is the patriarchal system. Furthermore, upbringing and social traditions have contributed to reinforcing a culture of male dominance in society.

Examining the Prevalence of Hegemonic Masculine Traits (HTMs) in Alcohol Video Advertisements: A Content Analysis of Ghanaian Manufactured Beer and Bitters

Drawing on the Hegemonic Masculinity Theory, a culturally idealized form of masculinity that legitimizes men’s dominant position over women and other marginalized men, this quantitative content analysis investigates the prevalence of hegemonic masculine traits (HMTs) in 182 Ghanaian-manufactured beer and bitters video ads sourced from YouTube and Facebook. It also investigates the association between the HMTs and the type of alcohol. Findings reveal that bonding, dominance, sexuality, successfulness, and aggressiveness are common HMTs in alcohol advertisements. Significant associations exist between bonding and aggressiveness with beer and sexuality with bitters. The study sheds light on how these ads reinforce gender norms and male dominance, especially over women. Implications include ethical concerns for advertisers, regulatory considerations, and insights for businesses entering the Ghanaian alcohol market. Limitations involve the study’s focus on video ads and call for future research on consumer perceptions and behaviors.

Hyphae Networks of Queer Love

Set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic future where as a result of infections due to rapid mutations in most earthly organisms, human civilisation has significantly declined, the Danmei Novel Little Mushroom by Shisi narrates the tale of a mushroom on a quest to recover the spores stolen by some humans. At the beginning of the novel the mushroom attempts but is unsuccessful in saving the life of an injured human, however, in the process the mushroom absorbs the human’s genes and memories, and is able to shapeshift into a human form called An Zhe and thus sets on a course towards the location of human civilisation whereby he encounters Lu Feng the other protagonist of the novel. The research paper examines how this work of speculative science fiction embodies the concepts of post-humanism and queer masculinity and rejects the narratives of strict binaries and the superiority of the human race over others. The paper highlights the novel’s attempt to move away from anthropocentric and heteronormative thinking as the novel engages in narratives that showcase queer love and queer masculinities in a positive way that does not conform and restricts itself to the boundaries set up by a backward society.

Masculinity Unveiled: Exploring the Translation of Male Characters in the Twilight Saga Across Cultures

This study aims to identify the manifestations of masculinity portrayed by the main characters in the Twilight Saga novel series and to examine the appraisal system utilized to articulate masculinity and its subsequent translation. This research employed qualitative descriptive research. This research was oriented towards translation products. Data sources, including documents and informants, were selected through purposive sampling. The novels Twilight Saga Series, along with their translated versions, served as primary documents. Informants comprised experts in translation and linguistics. Linguistic and translation data form the basis of the research, encompassing shifts in translation and expressions of masculinity alongside evaluation schemes. Data analysis employed domain, taxonomy, component, and cultural theme analyses. The research findings revealed the presence of both invoked and inscribed expressions of masculinity. Five distinct types of masculinity emerge: sexual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and interpersonal. Graduation and attitude constitute the appraisal system for these expressions, with judgment being the most prevalent attitude type in Edward and Jacob's manifestations of masculinity. The research shows two shifts in masculinity type and appraisal systems. While both characters exhibit strong masculinity, the author provides more detailed descriptions of Edward's masculinity than Jacob's. Edward Cullen's masculinity is heavily influenced by his family background, particularly emphasizing physicality over other forms of masculinity. The study identifies data shifts, encompassing changes in masculinity type and appraisal system. Suggestions for future research include exploring translation methods and ideologies not addressed in this study and investigating prototype translation models for translating masculinity.

Constructing non-hegemonic entrepreneurial masculinity: the case of Black men doing entrepreneurship in a predominantly white context

PurposeThe literature on entrepreneurial masculinity has primarily focused on how hegemonic masculinity is constructed and performed in entrepreneurship. Little is known about how non-hegemonic masculinity is performed by male entrepreneurs who do not fit the dominant and traditional form of masculinity in a specific context. Focusing on a cohort of Black male entrepreneurs who practised entrepreneurship in a predominantly white context, this paper explores how non-hegemonic entrepreneurial masculinity is constructed.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyse qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with nine Black male entrepreneurs living and doing business in the Northeast of England.FindingsThe study found that Black male entrepreneurs construct a distinct form of entrepreneurial masculinity by leveraging the identity of White women to construct a respectable entrepreneurial masculinity. The form of masculinity the men engaged in is theorised as transactional masculinity. This is enacted through relationships with White women which is seen as a symbol of respect and social acceptance, and as a “rite of passage” in entrepreneurship. The study presents a model of entrepreneurial masculinity to explain how transactional masculinity is constructed in relation to femininity and other forms of masculinity.Originality/valueThe study theorises how non-hegemonic entrepreneurial masculinity is enacted through the concept of transactional masculinity. It presents a model of entrepreneurial masculinity and gives voice to the experiences of male entrepreneurial actors with non-hegemonic masculinity.

Masculinities in a feminist pedagogy: lessons for transformative gender and agriculture training.

Masculinities and femininities are closely interconnected with men and women farmers' everyday lives; hence critical reflection on these interconnections should be central in gender training in agriculture. While a focus on men and masculinities is crucial for sustainable transformation of deep-rooted gender norms and practices that limit the attainment of gender equality, there are insufficient empirically tested pedagogical models for this purpose. We share a case study, the Gender Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT) model, which incorporates masculinities in a feminist pedagogy. We use external monitoring, evaluation, and learning data for two case study courses that integrate gender in plant breeding, seed systems, and agronomy to demonstrate the efficacy of integrating the concept of masculinity and reflections on male farmers' expectations, behaviors, and practices within a feminist approach to gender training. We conclude that feminist pedagogical practices offer insights into how gender training can integrate a masculinities perspective to move beyond divisive and narrow gender polarities towards addressing masculine norms that often hinder the attainment of gender transformation.

DELINEATING TOXIC MASCULINITY IN TANA FRENCH’S THE WITCH ELM

This article explores the concept of toxic masculinity in The Witch Elm (2018), a novel by Tana French, using R.W. Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity and Amy Wharton's sociology of gender frameworks. The research focuses on the protagonist, Toby, who shows toxic masculine traits such as emotional suppression, independence, aggression, and vulnerability avoidance. The study uses qualitative descriptive analysis, examining key scenes in the novel in which these behaviors manifest, especially in relation to family and romantic partners. Through this analysis, the findings reveal how toxic masculinity not only contributes to Toby's deteriorating mental health but also isolates him emotionally, resulting in damaged relationships and increased psychological distress. Ultimately, the article concludes that toxic masculinity extends emotional isolation, reinforcing harmful gender norms that prevent men from seeking support or expressing vulnerability. The research contributes to a broader discourse on how societal expectations of masculinity negatively impact individual males while continuing gender inequality. The study highlights the importance of challenging these norms to foster healthier emotional expression, stronger relationships, and more fair gender dynamics in society.

Women who pay their own brideprice: reimagining provider masculinity through Uganda's thriving wedding industry

AbstractIn Uganda, the ‘traditional’ wedding, wherein a groom brings money and gifts to his father‐in‐law's home, has long been understood as the ultimate demonstration of a man's social maturity. Yet masculine adulthood is becoming increasingly elusive as weddings become more difficult to afford. Widespread unemployment has rendered most young men unable to fund the rituals while weddings themselves have become exceptionally lavish: brideprice payments now include ‘cows’, or millions of Ugandan shillings, as well as furniture sets, refrigerators, televisions, and even cars. With wedding expenses surging and their fiancés out of work, women have begun ‘paying their own brideprice’, as Ugandans say, by contributing substantially to wedding costs. In this article, we explore this oft‐debated phenomenon. We propose that the emergence of women who pay their own brideprice has invited a broad reimagining of the gendered economic ideologies that tether men to money under the rubric of provider masculinity. That celebratory, seemingly innocuous events such as weddings occasion the questioning of hegemonic forms of masculinity is particularly notable in Uganda, where gender conservatism dominates public discourse. Beyond Uganda, our case suggests revisiting the normative as a potent site for observing gendered social change.

Males are Toxic: A Masculine Critique of Ayad Akhtar’s Play The Who & The What

Hegemonic and toxic traits of masculinity are complex ideas that have affected personal relationships and social hierarchies for centuries. The play The Who & The What by Ayad Akhtar presents these traits through the male character Afzal, a Pakistani American citizen whose traditional culture and modern American lifestyle lead him to adopt these forms of masculinity. Therefore, the present study basically aims to focus on the impact of Afzal’s masculinity in Akhtar’s play The Who & The What over his daughters, Zarina and Mahwish, as well as Zarina’s husband, Eli. The Who & The What centers around Zarina, the female protagonist, who challenges her society by writing a novel entitled The Who & The What, exploring the personal life of the prophet Mohammed (BPUH). As the play moves, her father, Afzal, opposes her and anyone who crosses the limits set by their traditional Arab-Muslim culture. However, employing the notion of Hegemonic Masculinity by R. W. Connell and the Toxic Theory of Masculinity as proposed by Terry A. Kupers provides new lenses to analyze the text of the play. Thus, the present study found that Afzal’s actions reflect certain hegemonic and toxic assets such as authority, domination, control, superiority, and making decisions for others.

The unlimited joy, ‘once you start you can’t stop’: masculinity in domestic technology commercials in Turkey

Recently, studies have begun examining men’s interaction with domestic space to explore changing forms of masculinity and domesticity, arguing that housework has become a leisure activity for men, with domestic technologies serving as tools (toys) for them to engage with. In this article, we explore how men in Turkish television commercials of domestic technologies are portrayed and how these portrayals construct and reconstruct discourses of domesticity and masculinity. We aim to understand men’s relationship with masculinity, home and domestic work in these commercials. Alongside leisure and fun, we explore the construction of discourses of masculinity and domesticity through specific themes such as the naughty scientist, the self-seeking purchaser, and the flirtatious chef. We argue that seeing more men on screen does not democratise domesticity since the equal share of workload at home is still far from being realised even in these portrayals. We also argue that domesticity is aestheticized with the participation of men and technology. Finally, women are used as instruments by men in reconstructing their masculinity through heterosexuality.

Visualising human life in volumetric cities: City digital twins and other disasters

City digital twins (CDTs) are attracting considerable attention as a tool for the management of cities facing many kinds of crises. CDTs are three-dimensional, animated digital models of cities that display the big data generated by urban sensors in near-real-time. Most of the academic literature on CDTs consists of technical discussions of their design or implementation. This paper instead proposes a different context for understanding CDTs. It adopts an intersectional feminist and techno-cultural analysis of the visual form of power enacted by CDTs, as exemplary of a much wider turn in contemporary visual culture towards visualising the world digitally in three dimensions. Many critical accounts of this visual and volumetric regime are attentive to the forms of corporealised human life that emerge in relation to the picturing of various volumes. This paper examines how CDTs visibly co-constitute a number of digitally-mediated forms of human life, including its user and its human inhabitants. The paper argues that, while both the technological affordances and the cultural imaginary of CDTs perform the kind of powerful white masculinity that sees space as transparent and actionable, discussions of CDTs also persistently generate an excessive form of human life that is understood as untwinnable. The paper argues that masculinist anxieties around this excess erupt in another form of digitally-animated volumetric city facing disaster: the disaster movie. The paper thus makes an argument about the specific form of white masculinity co-constituted with CDTs and insists on the necessity of critical techno-cultural analyses of urban management technologies.

PARADIGMS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITY IN OUR TIME: HAVE WE OVERCOME IT?

This article proposes a debate on gender identity issues, with a main focus on masculinity in the 21st century. Moving towards a perspective that is not limited to sexuality, the concept of hegemonic masculinity is explored, influenced by several theoretical fields, such as cultural, sociological and psychoanalytic studies. The methodology adopted involves writing about oneself and remembering personal experiences, highlighting the importance of this reflection on subjectivities in the training of future teachers. The results and discussions address the influence of patriarchy and the historical construction of masculinity, as well as its hegemonic manifestations in various social contexts, such as education, work and health. It is concluded that hegemonic masculinity perpetuates male domination over women and non-normative men, but its definition and practice are complex and varied, and it is important to consider individual and contextual particularities in the analysis of male identities.

‘Yes, I’m an Elite athlete and I’m Gay’: Experiences of elite gay male athletes in Spain

There is a broad academic consensus that sexual minorities have been marginalised in sports culture. The present research is the first to explore the experiences of gay male elite athletes in Spain. Drawing on 11 semi-structured interviews with these athletes, this paper focuses on the experiences of being gay in elite sport. Guided by Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity and the process of individualisation, our findings show that all the athletes have experienced or witnessed homonegativity, but at the same time have been empowered by sport. These athletes are paving the way for a more diverse masculinity in sport and making male homosexuality more visible. For continued improvements, it is important to implement more effective, inclusive sports policies and to introduce specific training for stakeholders.

Alienation of Female Characters in the Movie Fair Play (2023) as Main Breadwinners in the View of Jaggar

The capitalist patriarchal system materializes in every aspect of life, even in the workplace, resulting in men and women's alienation. Unlike previous studies on women's alienation, this article examines the alienation of women as main breadwinners in a financial sector. Through film analysis, this article discusses the movie Fair Play released by Netflix in 2023. The movie focuses on a woman named Emily who gets a higher position than her fiancé in a securities company, causing jealousy. The movie Fair Play tries to distort the reality of how women are able to get higher positions in a male-dominated system. Drawing on Alison Jaggar's alienation theory, this article attempts to show how the form of alienation experienced by Emily as a woman is different from the alienation experienced by men in a capitalist patriarchal system. Using qualitative method in analyzing Fair Play movie scenes, the study reveals that alienation experienced by workers, whether female or male, is the result of an exploitative capitalist system. The article also argues that Emily experiences alienation of sexuality and intellectuality because of her femininity. This implies that women experience double standards because of the double burden caused by gender roles. It concludes that women experience alienation differently from men because of their gender. By eliminating of the concepts of masculinity and femininity, this alienation experienced differently by women can be overcome.

Enhancements in Clinical Practice in the Contemporary Landscape of Male Facial Attractiveness

The concept of gender has evolved significantly in recent decades, moving from a binary status to a multiplicity of gender types. In today’s world, the new reality of the concept of masculinity, as defined socially and historically, must be recognized and accepted by aesthetic medicine. Consequently, aesthetic doctors will have to adapt the views and treatment plans that they propose in their consultations to the ideals of beauty, as well as with the roles, behaviors, and attributes considered masculine within their society. Each facial feature suggests a personality characteristic that represents that individual. This expert opinion article aims to assess Caucasian male gender-related anatomical facial features and achieve an expert agreement on the association of specific features with the perception of attractiveness, masculinity, and personality traits in order to cover the wide range of current male representations, as well as to provide orientation for clinical practice improvement in the contemporary landscape of facial masculinization.

Sisters, Bottoms, and “Exotic Combo”: Homonormative Misogyny and Respectable Masculinity of Middle-Class Gay Sex Workers in Hong Kong

This article brings together queer studies and masculinities studies to discuss how middle-class gay sex workers in Hong Kong manage the stigma of same-sex sex work. Based on 11 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a gay erotic massage parlor in Hong Kong, I examine how middle-class gay sex workers in Hong Kong deploy locally specific notions about gender, class, and border to mitigate their anxiety about sex work and to establish a form of gay masculinity. The middle-class gay masseurs claim a respectable self through narrating multiple disrespectable others—women streetwalker, bottom masseur, and lower-class migrant sex worker. In everyday banter, satire, and bawdy jokes around these three figures, masseurs invoke homonormativity through misogynistic discourses about migrant women, femininity, effeminacy, and penetration. In so doing, they simultaneously produce gay masculinity and gay misogyny, a process I term “homonormative misogyny.” In neoliberal Hong Kong, this form of gay respectability politics is emergent in an increasingly gentrified sexual economy.

Evaluating the concept of political masculinity/ies: a simple idea or a case of too many ideas?

This article critically interrogates and evaluates the concept of political masculinities as part of enhancing dialogue between political science and critical studies on men and masculinities. It discusses what counts as masculinity, what counts as political and how they connect. The connections are all too clear in mainstream politics, not only in populist, authoritarian, ethno-nationalist and militaristic politics but also in democratic, socialist and various activist politics. The evaluation of the concept of political masculinities is conducted by asking three main questions: how does the concept add to, complement or contradict existing and established external concepts and theories? How is the concept constructed internally, and with what structure, elements and interrelations? And how can the application of the concept be possibly extended into fields beyond those usually recognized and labelled explicitly as specifically political fields, including the politics of the everyday and the politics of multiple global crises?

Gender, germs, and governors: political masculinities and leadership in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article describes how the concept of political masculinities helps explain public responses to US governors’ COVID-19 policies. We draw upon governors’ approval ratings, using a paired comparison of similar states with male and female governors, illustrating these findings with examples of citizens’ opinions on governors’ performance from local newspapers and social media. While the approval ratings data suggest citizens made few gender-based distinctions when appraising their governors’ performance, our media analysis shows citizens used gendered language to describe their governors’ leadership skills, evaluating governors during COVID-19 on stereotypically masculine traits. Also, regarding the “male-as-protector” element of normative political masculinity, both the approval ratings and local media data show that citizens held male—but not female—governors responsible for increased COVID-19 rates. These findings suggest that US citizens continued to regard their male and female governors through the lens of traditional (normative) political masculinities during the pandemic’s first year.

Riot Like a Girl? Gender-Stereotypical Associations Boost Support for Feminist Online Campaigns

The current study examined whether congruence with gender stereotypes is associated with support for online feminist campaigns. In Study 1 (Ntweets = 510,000), we investigated how two real-world movements (i.e., #metoo and #sexstrike) were viewed in terms of adhering to the traditional feminine stereotype of high warmth/communion and low competence/agency, as per language used in the tweets posted within each campaign. We found that the #metoo movement was characterised by more communal and less agentic content than #sexstrike. In Study 2 (N = 195), when presented with descriptions of the movements modelled after #metoo and #sexstrike, participants associated the #metoo-like campaign with more feminine (e.g., community orientation) and less masculine concepts (e.g., rebelliousness), which, in turn, translated to greater declared support for the campaign. In Study 3 (N = 446), conducted in a more controlled and context-independent setting, we once again observed the link between the gender stereotypes attached to feminist movements and the support they received. We also found that this effect was independent of the effect of perceiving movements as violating social norms. Controlling for feminist identification, political conservatism, and gender system justification did not affect the pattern of results. Uncovering these stereotype-related effects on support for feminist movements furthers understanding of the strategies that might be used in the fight for gender equality.

Transforming harmful representations, investigating violence and empowering care practises in masculinities.

Stemming from a critical perspective of feminist studies on masculinities, this article proposes to explore how dominant and hegemonic masculinities are being reimagined, renegotiated and reconstructed, by understanding new patterns of violence amongst boys, on the one hand; and how care, as the opposite of violence, and a concept in construction from a feminist perspective, can be adopted, put in practise and understood. From a feminist standpoint masculinities studies need to go through a renewed problematisation of the social constructions of masculinities in a space-time context that intersects the economic crisis, health crisis and, on the other hand, implementation of legislation and initiatives for gender equality and citizenship, and is marked by social challenges that are related to the increase of gender inequality, violence indicators and extremism but also the emergence of caring masculinities that need closer attention. This feminist approach to masculinities allows us to critically challenge hegemonic models of boyhood/manhood, specifically by developing a FEMINIST THEORY OF CARING MASCULINITIES. Through a critical understanding of the new patterns and ways in which patriarchal masculinities are perpetuated in society, and placing CARE as the centrepiece and pro-active practise that opposes violence sustained models of masculinities, feminist masculinities studies can challenge dominant forms of masculinity by taking action in diverse social contexts and emphasising empathy, emotional expression, and cooperative relationships.