Representations Of Masculinity Research Articles

A Deviant Pathway To Respectability: The Enforcer Career Path In Professional Ice Hockey From 1997–2012

ABSTRACT Deviant behavior may be thought of as irrational and compulsive, as permissible only in areas devoid of social control, or as something that needs to be kept hidden from society at large. However, behavior that is labeled as deviant or problematic may offer an alternative and seemingly rational pathway to success within socially respected contexts. Here, a quantitative portrait of such a case is presented: the occurrence of fist-fighting within junior and professional hockey organizations. Analysis shows that fighting in hockey, while frowned upon and debated by many in the media and the public, has served as a pathway to success for less skilled players. While theories of masculinity, honor, and intergroup violence may explain why these fights occur at all, variance in this behavior between individuals is largely explained by an informal division of labor that occurs as less-skilled players seek a way into higher levels of professional hockey. Those who choose to fight more than others are largely responding to a set of incentives within the ecology of their sport, in line with other choice-centered models of deviant behavior. Deviance, paradoxically, offers an alternative but costly pathway to respectability.

Negotiating Hegemonic Masculinities and Mutual Exoticization within Grindr Tourism Interactions: “Everyone in Tel Aviv is a Muscle God”

ABSTRACT Dating apps are spaces where masculinities are communicated digitally, affecting inequalities around gender expressions. This study aims to identify the masculinities communicated within Grindr tourism interactions in Tel Aviv and analyze how masculinities shape relations among international tourists and locals. Methods consist of interviews and audio diaries with nineteen tourist, local, and immigrant Grindr users in Tel Aviv. Theories of affordances, hegemonic masculinities, and relational sociology are used to analyze the data. In discussion of the results, the concept of mutual exoticization is put forth to interpret the social dynamics valued within Grindr tourism interactions, thereby revealing oppositional fantasies tied to nationalities and masculinities. The study also explores ethnicity’s association with social and erotic capital in digital circulations of a localized Mizrahi masculinity. Findings reveal that while hegemonic masculinities are circulated on Grindr, resistance is also a part of Grindr tourism relations around masculinities. This research concludes by shedding light on masculinity inequalities within digital spaces where different nationalities co-congregate, revealing everyday negotiations of gender regimes. Grindr is the site of both reproduction of and resistance to social inequalities around masculinities.

“The 70s Are the New 50s. Nothing Is, However, for Free” – The Affective Biopolitics of Andropause and Testosterone on Danish Websites

ABSTRACT Andropause, the notion that men’s aging is affected by a declining testosterone production, has until recently been a somewhat unknown phenomenon in the Danish context. However, as a growing number of Danish websites are disseminating information about ‘the male climacteric’, a new hormone centered health discourse about the male body is emerging. In this article, we analyze a corpus of 50 Danish websites consisting of both online media articles and websites marketing products for ‘andropausal’ men. We show how men’s health and performances of masculinity in mid- and later life is entangled in biomedical discourses of risk and self-surveillance, as well as (biopolitical) affects centering aging men’s sexual capacities. We base our analysis in new materialist thinking which outlines affect, biopolitics and complexity as entry points to embodied dimensions of masculinity. We argue that the growing attention to andropause promote new norms for aging in which the aging body is designated as unhealthy and the individual is required to remain vital and capable throughout life. Finally, drawing on Steve Garlick, we show how online available testosterone home-testing kits can be read as illustrative of the theory of masculinity as a technology of embodiment which rests upon the control over nature.

RE-READING OF VULNERABLE MINDS IN COSTUME- A SELECT STUDY ON TWO MALAYALAM MOVIES

Masculinity as depicted in visual culture is often appropriated as the ideal to adhere in most of the representations, whether it is cinema or performing arts. Patriarchal order tends to project masculinity as the source of power from which the matrix of a society is outlined. Representation of masculinity on screen and their dimensions convey human experiences in a hitherto unperceived way. Apart from being a muscular figure which is categorized against a vulnerable woman, the dawn of 20th century has witnessed varied representations onscreen including sensitive, vulnerable, possessive protagonists trapped in a well-toned muscular body striving for an identity. Performing arts, unlike movies gives space for representing varying emotions pertaining to their role in society using costumed characters and images.

Representation of Alternate Masculinities in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Masculinity and its practice in contemporary life cannot be divorced from the constructions of masculinity that are dictated by traditional hegemonic assumptions of machismo that centre on the definition of being a man in the 21st century. This paper takes contemporary popular young adult novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Sáenz, 2012) to delineate how adolescent boys in their daily lives practice masculinity, identity, and existence. The novel is further scrutinised vis-à-vis the protagonists in the novel who negotiate their identities and their sexualities keeping in mind the heteronormativity and the pressures presented by hegemonic masculinity in school spaces. The novel is examined for any alternate ways of being queer, male, and masculine through the protagonists’ navigation of their daily lives, their relations with their family and the analysis of anger within machismo discourses.

Representation of 1960s Masculinity in America through the Main Male Character in Elvis (2022) Film

Representation of 1960s Masculinity in America through the Main Male Character in Elvis (2022) Film

The Experiences of Male Nursing Students at North-West University: Insights from Mafikeng Campus

Men in nursing are still seen as unusual for being in a profession that the society perceives as suitable only for females. There is also the notion that men have difficulty caring, traditionally, men are resilient and often are told "men do not cry", they are not supposed to show emotion, if they do, they tend to be considered weak. Men who choose nursing as a career not only risk challenging gender-based stereotypes but gender roles defined traditionally as well. The purpose of this paper was to explore the experiences of male nursing students at NWU (MC) and the empirical evidence suggests that there is still much to be done in institutions of higher learning to enable male nursing students to also feel a sense of belonging in their respective nursing programs. The study utilized qualitative research method in exploring the issues of gender with a particular focus on masculinity and it has uncovered the concept of hegemonic masculinity. Structured interviews were employed, and the data was transcribed and analysed through content analysis. A comprehensive search of the literature from different disciplines reveals deeper issues than just the commonly held assumption that nursing is not masculine. The findings of the study suggest that Connell’s theory of masculinity should not attempt to balance supposedly masculine and feminine qualities, but to challenge the assumption that masculinities are predominantly masculine or feminine. Recommendations include institutions creating campaigns that will ensure that only students that are passionate about nursing are recruited and implement strategies that will improve the experiences of male nursing students in institutions of higher learning.

Aufarbeitung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (DGfE) zum Umgang mit sexuellen Gewaltverhältnissen in pädagogischen Kontexten aus männlichkeitstheoretischer Perspektive

Sexual violence is a gendered phenomenon. It is linked to the establishment of male dominance, which is why the majority of perpetrators are male and why girls, non-binary young people and marginalized groups of boys are at higher risk of experiencing sexual violence than relatively privileged boys. Also, victimized boys face particular challenges in processes of disclosure because of norms of masculinity. These norms imply a dominance over others, particularly the objectification of non-male bodies, thereby contributing to the legitimization of sexual violence. A critical reappraisal of sexual violence – here understood as including both research and justice work – therefore must take into account gendered analyzes of the phenomenon, including theories of masculinity. The article elaborates this view and discusses possible conclusions for the critical reappraisal of the GERA’s handling of sexual violence in educational institutions based on masculinity theory.

Édouard Louis´s novel The End of Eddy: A representation of hegemonic masculinity?

Background In this paper we analyse the novel The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis. The motivation for this paper is Bourdeau’s (2020) observation that Louis’s book explores working class politics, sexuality, and masculinity. Methods We analysed the amendment through narrative content analysis, the application of which allows us to answer the following question: Édouard Louis’s novel The End of Eddy: A representation of hegemonic masculinity? Results We conclude that this narrative is built on contradictions that can be summarized as a conflict between a socio-cultural norm anchored in a French village and a person who does not fulfil this concept, who is outside of it. We believe that hegemonic masculinity, that is, one part of the cultural norm of a given village, causes Eddy’s inclination or consciousness of homonationalism. Thus, on the one hand, hegemonic masculinity is undoubtedly present in this novel; on the other hand, it forms a kind of background or socio-cultural environment which, although it defines itself against the given, unconsciously causes the “birth of the conscious homosexual”. Conclusions Thus, we dare to claim that the narrative under analysis is not only a representation of hegemonic masculinity, but also an accentuation of its external and internal influence on one’s own perception of (sexual) difference.

Female Masculinity in Jungle Cruise Film (2021)

This research aims to find out the characterization of the main female character and how the character represents female masculinity in the film Jungle Cruise. Researcher analyzed the film through the masculinity theory approach by Peter Lehman and female masculinity by Judith Halberstam. Researcher used qualitative method with descriptive analysis to find findings in the research. The data used is dialogue text and photo scene footage in the Jungle Cruise film. In the characterization analysis, it was found that Dr. Lily has the characteristics of being smart, clever, kind, caring and ambitious. The value of masculinity in Dr. Lily is characterized by the elements of power, courage, heroism, and leadership. In line with Judith Halberstam's theory of female masculinity (1998), which says that female masculinity refers to a woman's body that displays masculine performatives which can be seen from the way she behaves and her physical appearance.

PADMARAJAN’S CREATIVE ILLUSTRATION OF MASCULINITIES

Padmarajan is an eminent personality of Indian cinema whose passionate and exquisite oeuvre of films grappled with the minds of viewers in India but remains underexplored in international academia. This article focuses on the creative representation of masculinities by Padmarajan with the aid of varied masculinity theories starting from the foundational masculinity ideas of Raewyn Connell to the alternate masculinity concepts rooted in the South Asian socio-cultural milieu. The paper examines how skilfully Padmarajan presents different forms of masculinity primarily subverting the traditional depictions in his select films.

CONSTRUCTION OF CONTEMPORARY MASCULINITY IN BOLLYWOOD: A STUDY OF SELECT FILMS STARRING AYUSHMANN KHURRANA

The study explores the representation of modern masculinity in three select Bollywood films starring Ayushmann Khurrana: Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Vicky Donor, and Dream Girl. The study examines how masculinity is portrayed in these films with a primary focus on the idea of hegemonic masculinity. The study makes use of qualitative research techniques to pinpoint important issues surrounding masculinity in these films, demonstrating a substantial movement away from conventionally hyper-masculine images towards more varied and complex representations. The male protagonists in these films are portrayed as being sensitive, frightened, and emotionally aware, which challenges traditional preconceptions.

The substantive representation of men: Intersectionality, masculinities, and men's interests

AbstractMen's numerical over‐representation in politics leads to complacency regarding their substantive representation. Yet the men in politics are not descriptively representative of most men and are drawn disproportionately from the most socially privileged groups. Building on theories of representation, intersectionality and masculinities, I argue that men have gendered representational needs that are not adequately met. Power structures among men leave many men marginalized and/or subordinated, and disincentivize the privileged men in power from defending disadvantaged men's interests. Masculinist cultures within politics inhibit discussion of male vulnerability and further undermine the substantive representation of men. I make the case for why we should study men's substantive representation and then show how we could do so. I propose a groundbreaking research agenda for identifying and measuring men's diverse representational needs, recognizing how these are shaped by gender and its intersection with other identities. Combining insights from objectivist, constructivist and intersectional approaches, I develop a framework for measuring the substantive representation of men that explores who represents men, which ideology informs their claims, which men are included and excluded and whether the goals of representation are to transform or uphold the status quo. I offer several illuminations of policies where different men have distinct gendered needs, and offer an extended example using educational outcomes in the United Kingdom to illustrate how privileged men are not effective representatives of disadvantaged men. This article builds the normative case and offers the theoretical tools for addressing an important gap in the study of representation.

Officers and men and fallen heroes: The discursive construction of regimented masculinity in the Nigerian Army

This paper examines the use of gendered language in the Nigerian Army's community of practice through the application of insights from language ideology and theory of masculinity. Data were generated by means of participant observation and semi-structured interviews in a one-year fieldwork involving representative sample of 18 personnel of the 6 Battalion, Ibawa and 2 Brigade, Uyo, both in Akwa Ibom State in South-eastern Nigeria. The findings show that the Nigerian Army maintains institutional gendered language practices used among its personnel in regimented functions and social events. The gendered registers occur in the soldiers' generic use of male address terms, adaptation to male-coded voice pattern in parades, masculinisation of Army's workout songs, and the subordination of femininity in institutional associations, all combined to construct the regimented and performative masculinisation of the profession. This practice is observed to be informed by the numerical domination of men in the profession that was originally perceived as males'; a conception that has shaped the linguistic ideology and performance of the Nigerian Army to rehearse masculine orientations. It is however recommended that the Army's language practices should capture modern ideals of a gender sensitive world that connect to the clamour for gender equality and equal social belonging through the inclusion of feminine linguistic markers in workplaces.

Perilaku Toxic Masculinity di Kalangan Pelajar SMK

Toxic masculinity behavior has become one of the examples of emerging reality in society. It talks about how a teenager male is bound to a long-formed social construction against the determination of attitudes and behaviors that men should be carrying out. Like a man should be strong, not crying, and so on. This study aims to identify toxic masculinity behavior that occurs among SMK students. The method used is qualitative research with a case study approach that is reviewed from Berger and Luckmann's theory of social reality construction and supported by Raewyn Connell's hegemonic masculinity theory. Subjects in this study were students of SMK Bina Karya 1 Karawang who consisted of five informants (three perpetrators and two victims) and selected on the basis of certain criteria. The data collection techniques used are observations, interviews and documentation.The results show that toxic masculinity in reality is based on three stages: externalization, objectification and internalization. At the externalization stage, the role of the family as well as the infancy of the informant becomes an important stage in the formation of their character as a man. Then at the objectivization stage, individuals begin to interact and see the reality that exists in their social environment through the meaning created for men. Lastly, the stage of internalization in which individuals embody existing subjectivity and become part of the members of society as a male.

Shaken and Stirred: The Crisis of Masculinity in<em> Casino Royale</em>

This article evaluates the literary figure of James Bond as a manifestation and projection of the Masculinity Crisis of the 1950’s white western male. In his first outing in Ian Fleming’s 1953 Casino Royale, Bond functions as a figure of subjectivity-splitting anxiety through whom the Masculinity Crisis is channelled with catastrophic effects for the character’s own sense of self, mirroring wider social fears about changing roles in an increasingly altering post-war society. While a number of scholars increasingly note the utility of masculinity theory in James Bond studies, the origin of the character’s troubled relationship to his own masculine self is yet to be explored in Fleming’s first novel as cinematic critiques take centre stage in analytical discussions. This article argues that the demands of a hegemonic hyper masculinity, combined with the dualistic lifestyle of a spy, see Bond oscillate between "ideal" and "transgressive" versions of masculine embodiment. This is shown to ultimately work to dissociate the character from his own sense of self, propelling him into crisis. It examines three areas of binary conflict: wealth and ruin, virility and castration, and masculinity and femininity, arguing the extreme pressures of each create an unstable, uneasy, and unhealthy masculine entity in need of critical re-examination.

‘We’re respectful boys … we’re not misogynistic!’: analysing defensive, contradictory and changing performances of masculinity within young men’s in-person and digitally mediated homosocial spaces

ABSTRACT This paper critically examines and theorizes how digital technologies and forms of communication, such as men-only private chat groups, facilitate and mediate the forms of masculinity young heterosexual men in the UK co-construct, perform and negotiate in their homosocial interactions. Qualitative data is drawn from 8 focus groups and 17 one-to-one interviews with young men aged 18–25 years, who identify as cisgender and heterosexual (N = 40), which is analysed using critical masculinity theories, including the concept of homosociality. Key findings indicate that the characteristics of online communication, including 24/7 connectivity and the ability to rapidly share online content, such as texts in men-only private chat groups, via the infrastructure of digital platforms, technologies and devices, facilitate ‘digitally mediated homosociality’, which changes in response to gendered hierarchies, relational norms and interactional needs. While participants often use online communications to engage in non-hierarchical homosociality via practices that enhance camaraderie, solidarity and emotional intimacy with other men, they also use them for hierarchical homosociality to acquire masculine status via practices that include non-consensually sexting teenage girls and women’s ‘nudes’, though they defensively distanced themselves from misogyny. We conclude by outlining how these findings can inform educational interventions that tackle misogyny and promote non-hierarchical masculinities.

Gender Through Media: Images of Contemporary Masculinity in Two Pakistani Movies

Gender and its media representations inform us about a specific culture. This research paper is an in-depth qualitative study of the representations of contemporary masculinity and queerness in the Pakistani media and popular culture. The paper analyzes two Pakistani movies: Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha (Circus of Life) (2019) and Saim Sadiq’s Joyland (2022). The aim of the study is to explore the concept of masculinity in the Pakistani society and its media representations in popular culture and cinema. Masculinity is interlinked with physical appearance, social norms and religious values in the Pakistani society, whereas queer behaviour is generally condemned because of cultural stereotypes and religious injunctions. The study analyzes the impact of social customs and stereotypes on the perception of masculinity in the male characters with special focus on the queer inclinations manifested in their behaviour. The analysis of the two movies is conducted through contemporary masculinity theories to identify current manifestations of masculinity in the Pakistani society through the media representations. The findings of the research indicate that contemporary masculinities in the Pakistani society and media depict a wide range of variation from hegemonic masculinity to hybrid masculinity, inclusive masculinity and queer masculinity.

Kipling's Manboys and Boymen: Masculinity as Child's Play

This thesis delves into the representation of boys and masculinity in Rudyard Kipling’s fiction through the lens of creative criticism. Using the methodology of a thought experiment, the study meditates on whether male characters in Kipling’s nineteenth-century short stories are able to render a mature masculine identity, or whether they exist in a state of half-becoming, as ‘manboys’. The central contention posits that Kipling’s works are devoid of a definitive ‘man’ archetype; instead, they portray characters at varying stages of boyhood, shaping masculinity through skilful engagement in childlike play.
 The analysis revolves around select short stories including “The Last of the Stories”, “The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes”, “The Cry of Blood”, “The Mark of the Beast”, “The Man Who Would be King”, “The Story of Muhammed Din”, “Without Benefit of the Clergy”, “Beyond the Pale" and “All the Mowgli Stories”.
 Central interpretations in the iconic Raj narratives includes an exposure of the fragility and domestic instability of expatriate culture’s dynamics, behaviours, and institutions. “The Man Who Would Be King” is read as an adventure undertaken by schoolboys. In “Without Benefit of the Clergy” and “Beyond the Pale", this playful masculine existence is intertwined with the awkward problem of first love. Moving between short stories, the study keeps a steady eye on the character of Mowgli from “The Jungle Books”, drawing comparing his development to that of other characters.
 Navigating Kipling’s literary terrain has traditionally been a challenging endeavour within academia. However, this piece attends to the complexities of Kipling’s expansive imaginative realm. By redefining masculinity through the lens of playful mastery, this study intends a nuanced interpretation of several of his male characters, contributing to broader critical conversations surrounding gender, coloniality, childhood and psychoanalytic approaches to Literature.

"He is just Ken:" deconstructing hegemonic masculinity in Barbie (2023 Movie).

Scholars have consistently explored Barbie in various contexts, often subjecting it to critical analysis. However, the release of the Barbie 2023 Movie has shifted our focus from Barbie to Ken, marking the first occasion when Barbie has provided a platform for exploring representations of masculinity both in the patriarchal society and in popular culture. This article aims to investigate how the 2023 Barbie movie deconstructs symbols of hegemonic and toxic masculinity and its performative aspects within the framework of (post)feminist discourse. It examines how the movie satirically employs symbols of traditional, hegemonic masculinity to challenge normative masculine ideals prevalent in our patriarchal society. The movie -through its popularity- significantly contributes to mainstream postfeminist media culture, creating a platform where discussions on masculinity, its associated crises, and the broader gender wars, along with their existential ramifications, become unavoidable. Exploring the ways masculinities are problematized and contested within postfeminist media culture, I argue that Ken, within this narrative, is positioned as the latest icon of postfeminist masculinity, symbolizing a critical juncture in the ongoing discourse on gender roles and identities.