With an extra coat of gloss, a slim fitting button up shirt and a regular skin care routine, it seems the traditional male has undergone some serious exfoliation!
In the process, feminism rendered traditional masculinity visible as a
socially constructed and problematic concept, and set the grounds for change in the social world. The shift in Australia's economic environment presented males with new demands in the workplace, forcing them to reject specific traditional traits in exchange for one's previously prescribed to the feminine. Gay liberation and acceptance through the 1980's essentially built a bridge between the gender binaries, visually divorcing many traditionally feminine traits from their homosexual signification; paving the way for a freedom in the recoding of masculinity through the playful assemblage of style and increase in consumption in the rising consumer culture. These changes converged to negotiate a detachment from traditional masculinity, writing new lines and stage directions for the male to allow his 'performance' of the feminine.
Returning now to where I first started…
Whether it be on the billboards or posters at a Sydney shopping centre, or three pages after the front cover of the latest ‘Men’s Style’, a stream of males are coming under the lens of the camera. Look once, and you may see the images of the 1950’s displayed out in front of you. Research the topic, then look again! You’ll then understand what makes this 2005 and not 1955! |
