Metrosexy Hegemony

I have critiqued the feminist concept of hegemonic masculinity before. The idea that there is a ‘masculine ideal’ that some men achieve and exploit, and others are oppressed by does not work for me. Also if there is a ‘hegemonic masculinity’ why is there not a ‘hegemonic femininity’. The concept relies on the idea that patriarchy exists, [...]

Letter From An Alien: It’s Over, Roland

http://www.towleroad.com/2012/02/a-marine-comes-home.html This photo has gone viral recently. It was first posted on a ‘Gay Marines’ FB page and has since been sent round the internet, with the tagline ‘Gay Marine Comes Home’. You know me. I am an out and proud ‘homophile’. I am bordering on being a homo myself.  My blog archives are full [...]

The Naked Muse

Coming up in London this week is an exhibition called The Naked Muse.  Pictures of naked men are usually of interest to me, so I thought I’d find out a bit more about it. Full details of the exhibition, featuring black and white photos of men poets in the nuddy, and the calendar to go [...]

Real Men Get Raped

http://www.queerty.com/in-your-face-ad-addresses-issue-of-male-rape-and-sexual-abuse-20120208/ On seeing this promo poster for a rape survivors campaign, my initial reaction was: Fag UP! But that seems to be my reaction to everything to do with masculinity these days. So I thought I’d put this one to you, dear QRG readers, and ask you what you think of the ‘real men get raped’ [...]

Seeing Is Believing

Sociological Images, the queens of criticising ‘women’s objectification’ in the media, have surpassed themselves this time. In a piece about ‘subliminal’ sexual messages in advertising they paint a picture of a world in which women are only ever presented as the recipients of men’s penetration and penetrative gaze. In the above image they describe how [...]

Naked Metrosexuality

http://www.aussielicious.com.au/2011/12/22/sweat-it-out/ Queerty an American (supergay) website, has reported on a new phenomenon – naked gyms. In Australia, London and NYC it is apparently planned for some gyms to offer  ’clothing optional’ sessions and/or spaces for men. As Queerty point out, the idea itself is not new at all. Ever since Greek and Roman times men have been [...]

The Origins of Simpsonism: By The Metrosexy Messenger

http://www.marksimpson.com/blog/2011/12/15/male-impersonators-now-available-as-a-kindle-ebook/ Mark Simpson has just released his 1994 classic, Male Impersonators: Men Performing Masculinity, on Amazon Kindle. Apart from it being a great book, and a major contribution to the literature of gender and masculinities, Male Impersonators is important because it includes the beginnings of Simpson’s theorising of metrosexuality. It represents his ‘original contribution to [...]

MetroDaddy Speaks! (About his latest Kindle publication)

http://www.marksimpson.com/blog/2011/12/15/male-impersonators-now-available-as-a-kindle-ebook/ ‘I deployed ‘metrosexual’ as journalistic shorthand for the freighted theory of M.I. Reading M.I. you may decide that the shorthand said rather more than the longhand.  If Male Impersonators was the theory of metrosexuality,Metrosexy, my recent collection of metro journalism, documents the way metrosexuality went on to conquer the culture over the next seventeen years – [...]

Male Impersonators by Mark Simpson: OUT NOW On Kindle!

Mark Simpson’s (1994) classic, Male Impersonators has  been published on Amazon Kindle. I can’t quite emphasise enough just how important this book is, and how much it has inspired me, since I read it this summer. If you are interested in men and masculinities it’s a must read. It covers topics such as men’s bodybuilding, [...]

A Fine Bromance – Hook Ups for Straight Dudes?

‘Straight boys love each other. Don’t ever think they don’t.’ http://str8boysfanclub.com/ According to the supergay website, towleroad, a new app is due to be launched soon, called ‘bromance’ for straight dudes to hook up. Like blendr, the ‘hetero’ equivalent of ‘grindr’ it seems to be taking a while to develop, as I  heard about it [...]