There is a certain point that you realise that you need a break! Well, here i am; awake at 04:52 in the morning and, believe it or not, i am experiencing what we call 'the real pain'; the real pain that does not allow me to sleep, to relax, to concentrate, to enjoy.. Today, two different persons told how tired i looked and to be honest, i'm not tired; even worst, i am exhausted! So, what the fuck i am doing awake? (i am wondering..) ..but then again, i can't sleep! So, instead of turning round and round, changing potential sleeping positions and trying to figure out what will make me sleep, i prefer to do something rather more creative.. 'masculinity'
The last few days, months or so, i realized how much masculinity interests me. Put differently, i could actually say that it fascinates me. Why? i don't know. I can only guess, but before i share my argument with you, i prefer to keep it a little longer for myself, but i can guarantee that it is a strong argument. The only thing i can say is, a. Eventually, i realized how many (male) friends of mine have asked me for styling advice or, even more, to 'escort' them and guide them during their shopping trips, 2. How much i enjoy the whole procedure of buying or even looking at men's clothes (sometimes, i could say that i enjoy it more than looking at female ones!) 3. How suit has become for women the equivalent of what lingerie in for men, and, finally, 4. Academically, how it thrills me to read about 'men's stuff' (either in a 'queer', or straight way).
I know that his discussion can go really far, but this is not my intension. I only want to briefly point out one of the major debates around masculinity and then it's time for the 'really good stuff' to come. 'Masculinity in crisis', really? Was there ever such a thing? My personal opinion (and this is not an academic paper, so i can put it like this) NO, there was never such a thing! A general shift in values, a change in tastes and standards within society? yes; a 'crisis'? no, definitely not! 'By the 1980s, the field of 'masculinity' was being recomposed; there were responses to the challenged of feminism, reactions to it, the emergence of critiques of traditional masculinity with its heterosexism and homophobia, and the development of a men's movement. ... A more self confident gay sub-culture with a more visible public identity, and the development of "queer" theory' (Whannel, 2002:19). I won't take it further, i will only point out that i belong to this group of people that agree with the thesis that: 'Masculinity is not in crisis, and is actually quite secure, but colludes in representation of itself as in crisis, precisely as an ideological mask for the continued reproduction of patriarchal relations.' (Whannel, 2002:26) And, to be honest the word 'crisis' sounds to me quite problematic and i cannot relate it to, 'masculinity' (but i'll leave my argument here, unsupported, undefined, weak and strictly personal; after all, there is a project proposal to come and for obvious reasons i can't play all my cards yet!)
Till then here are 10+1 visual examples, taken from the cinematic world, to prove that the only 'crisis' the world has to worry about is the economic one!
1. The 'i got the look' guy_Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey_United States (i know this is a rather queer start! but as queer as it is, he is out there and he cannot be ignored!)
The last few days, months or so, i realized how much masculinity interests me. Put differently, i could actually say that it fascinates me. Why? i don't know. I can only guess, but before i share my argument with you, i prefer to keep it a little longer for myself, but i can guarantee that it is a strong argument. The only thing i can say is, a. Eventually, i realized how many (male) friends of mine have asked me for styling advice or, even more, to 'escort' them and guide them during their shopping trips, 2. How much i enjoy the whole procedure of buying or even looking at men's clothes (sometimes, i could say that i enjoy it more than looking at female ones!) 3. How suit has become for women the equivalent of what lingerie in for men, and, finally, 4. Academically, how it thrills me to read about 'men's stuff' (either in a 'queer', or straight way).
I know that his discussion can go really far, but this is not my intension. I only want to briefly point out one of the major debates around masculinity and then it's time for the 'really good stuff' to come. 'Masculinity in crisis', really? Was there ever such a thing? My personal opinion (and this is not an academic paper, so i can put it like this) NO, there was never such a thing! A general shift in values, a change in tastes and standards within society? yes; a 'crisis'? no, definitely not! 'By the 1980s, the field of 'masculinity' was being recomposed; there were responses to the challenged of feminism, reactions to it, the emergence of critiques of traditional masculinity with its heterosexism and homophobia, and the development of a men's movement. ... A more self confident gay sub-culture with a more visible public identity, and the development of "queer" theory' (Whannel, 2002:19). I won't take it further, i will only point out that i belong to this group of people that agree with the thesis that: 'Masculinity is not in crisis, and is actually quite secure, but colludes in representation of itself as in crisis, precisely as an ideological mask for the continued reproduction of patriarchal relations.' (Whannel, 2002:26) And, to be honest the word 'crisis' sounds to me quite problematic and i cannot relate it to, 'masculinity' (but i'll leave my argument here, unsupported, undefined, weak and strictly personal; after all, there is a project proposal to come and for obvious reasons i can't play all my cards yet!)
Till then here are 10+1 visual examples, taken from the cinematic world, to prove that the only 'crisis' the world has to worry about is the economic one!
1. The 'i got the look' guy_Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey_United States (i know this is a rather queer start! but as queer as it is, he is out there and he cannot be ignored!)
..and because i know that i may made it a bit ambiguous for you, i wont leave the US yet!
2. The retro cool guy_Jon Ham_United States
3. The lascivious latin seducer_Gael García Bernal_Mexico
4. The one with the 'willing' chin_Daniel Day Lewis_Ireland (to be precise, he is an English actor with both British and Irish citizenship, but in my mind he personifies what i call 'Irish male beauty')
5. The one with the unflattering haircuts_Havier Bardem_Spain
6. The one among the first ones_Marcello Mastroianni_Italy
7. The 'new-wave' one_Jean-Paul Belmondo_France
8. The one that deserves to be called 'James Bond'_Daniel Craig_United Kingdom
9. The one that you won't stop hear his name (at least) for the next 5 years_Michael Fassbender_Ireland & Germany
10. The one that is almost impossible to ignore OR the one that you cannot take your eyes off of him_James Franco_United States
10+1. The one that the words are not enough to describe him_Johnny Depp_United States
..and the one who is out and beyond competition_Steve McQueen_United States
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