On-line constructions of metrosexuality and masculinities
A membership categorization analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.v6i2.379Keywords:
membership categorization analysis, metrosexuality, masculinity, sexuality, online identitiesAbstract
The relatively recent growth of identity categories for men participating in non-conventional masculine activities can be linked to contemporary consumption and lifestyle opportunities (Gill et al., 2005). While there have been various studies pertaining to media representations of ‘metrosexuality’, ‘new’ masculinities, and the marketing of health and beauty products to men, we currently know little about how men define, ascribe to and disavow contemporary identity markers such as ‘metrosexual’. The existence of on-line forums dedicated to the discussion of metrosexuality provides an obvious opportunity to examine contemporary masculinities. In this paper we report on a study of one such internet forum, using membership categorisation analysis (Sacks, 1972, 1992) to investigate the deployment of metrosexuality and related identity categories. Our analysis highlights the masculinised parameters through which metrosexuality is taken up (and rejected), which include notions of vanity, conspicuous consumption, professional status and sexual prowess. The continued influence of hegemonic forms of masculinity in this context is discussed.
References
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Coyle, J. and Macwhannell, d. (2002) The importance of ‘morality’ in the social construction of suicide in Scottish newspapers. Sociology of Health and Illness 24 (6): 689–713. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.00314
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Edwards, T. (2003) Sex, booze and fags: Masculinity, style and men’s magazines. In B. Benwell (ed.) Masculinity and Men’s Lifestyle Magazines. Oxford: Blackwell.
Edwards, T. (2006) Cultures of Masculinity. London: Routledge.
Gill, R., Henwood, K. and McLean, C. (2005) Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity. Body & Society 11 (1): 37–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1357034X05049849
Gough, B. (2007) ‘Real men don’t diet’: an analysis of contemporary newspaper representations of men, food and health. Social Science and Medicine 64 (2): 326–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.09.011
Greenfield, P. M. and Subrahmanyam, K. (2003) Online discourse in a teen chatroom: New codes and new modes of coherence in a visual medium. Applied Developmental Psychology 24: 713–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2003.09.005
Harrison, C. (2008) Real men do wear mascara: advertising discourse and masculine identity. Critical Discourse Studies 5 (1): 55–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17405900701768638
Hester, S. and Eglin, P. (eds) (1997) Culture and Action: Studies in Membership Categorization Analysis. washington: University Press of america
Hill, d. B. (2006) ‘Feminine’ heterosexual men: Subverting heteropatriarchal sexual scripts?’ The Journal of Men’s Studies 14 (2): 145–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.3149/jms.1402.145
Horne, J. and wiggins, S. (2009) doing being ‘on the edge’: Managing the dilemma of being authentically suicidal in an online forum. Sociology of Health and Illness 31 (2): 170–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01130.x
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Moursand, J. (1997) Sanctuary: Social support on the internet. In J. E. Behar (ed.) Mapping Cyber-space: Social Research on the Electronic Frontier. Oakdale, New york: dowling College Press.
Purasia (2008) The emergence of the gastrosexual. Retrieved 21 July 2008 http://www.gastrosexual.com/EmergenceoftheGastrosexual.pdf
Sacks, H. (1972) On the analysability of stories by children. In R. Turner (ed.) Ethnomethodology. Middlesex: Penguin Education.
Sacks, H. (1992) Lectures on Conversation. Oxford: Blackwell.
Salzman, M., Matathia, I. and O’Reilly, a. (2005) The Future of Men. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schegloff, E. a. (2007) a tutorial on membership categorization. Journal of Pragmatics 39: 462–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.07.007
Silverman, d. (1998) Harvey Sacks: Social Science and Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Silverman, d. (2006) Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. (3rd Edition) London: Sage.
Simpson, M. (1994) Here come the mirror men. The Independent November 15, 1994.
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Simpson, R. (2005) Men in non-traditional occupations: Career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain. Gender, Work and Organisation 12 (4): 363–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2005.00278.x
Slouka, M. (1995) War of the Worlds: Cyberspace and the High-Tech Assault on Reality. New york: Basic Books.
Smith, d. (1978) K is mentally ill: The anatomy of a factual account. Sociology 12: 23–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003803857801200103
Speer, S. (2005) Gender Talk: Feminism, Discourse and Conversation Analysis. Hove: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203321447
Sproull, L. and Kiesler, S. (1991) Connections. Cambridge, Ma: MIT Press.
Stokoe, E. H. (2003) ‘Mothers, Single women and Sluts: Gender, Morality and Membership Categorization in Neighbour disputes.’ Feminism & Psychology 13: 317–344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959353503013003006
Turkle, S. (1997) Life on the Screen. London: Phoenix.
Vallis, R. (2001) applying membership categorization analysis to chat-room talk. In a. McHou and M. Rapley (eds) How to Analyse Talk in Institutional Settings: A Casebook of Methods. London: Continuum.
West, C. and Garcia, a. (1988) Conversational shift work: a study of topical transitions between man and women. Social Problems 35 (5): 551–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/sp.1988.35.5.03a00060
Wetherell, M. (1998) Positioning and interpretative repertoires: Conversation analysis and post-structuralism in dialogue. Discourse and Society 9 (3): 387–412. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957926598009003005
Wetherell, M. and Edley, N. (1999) Negotiating hegemonic masculinity: Imaginary positions and psycho-discursive practices. Feminism and Psychology 9 (3): 335–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959353599009003012
Whitehead, S. M. and Barrett, F. J. (2001) The Masculinities Reader. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Widdicombe, S. and woofitt, R. (1990) ‘Being’ versus ‘doing’ punk: On achieving authenticity as a member. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 9 (4): 257–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261927X9094003
Winzelburg, a. (1997) The analysis of an electronic support group for individuals with eating disorders. Computers in Human Behaviour 13 (3): 393–407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(97)00016-2
Wowk, M. T. (1984) Blame allocation, sex and gender in a murder interrogation. Women’s Studies International Forum 7 (1): 75–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0277-5395(84)90087-6
Benwell, B. and Stokoe, E. (2006) Discourse and Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin. CBS (2010) ‘60 Minutes’, accessed 28 January, http://www.cbsnews.com/ sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml
Coad, d. (2008) The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality, and Sport. New york: State University of New york Press.
Connell, R. w. (1995) Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity.
Connell, R. w. and Messerschmidt, J. w. (2005) Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender and Society 19(60): 829–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0891243205278639
Coyle, J. and Macwhannell, d. (2002) The importance of ‘morality’ in the social construction of suicide in Scottish newspapers. Sociology of Health and Illness 24 (6): 689–713. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.00314
de Visser, R. O. (2008) ‘I’m Not a Very Manly Man’: Qualitative insights into young men’s masculine subjectivity. Men and Masculinities 24: 1–5
Edwards, d. (1998) The relevant thing about her: Social identity categories in use. In C. antaki and S. widdicombe (eds) Identities in Talk. London: Sage.
Edwards, T. (2003) Sex, booze and fags: Masculinity, style and men’s magazines. In B. Benwell (ed.) Masculinity and Men’s Lifestyle Magazines. Oxford: Blackwell.
Edwards, T. (2006) Cultures of Masculinity. London: Routledge.
Gill, R., Henwood, K. and McLean, C. (2005) Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity. Body & Society 11 (1): 37–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1357034X05049849
Gough, B. (2007) ‘Real men don’t diet’: an analysis of contemporary newspaper representations of men, food and health. Social Science and Medicine 64 (2): 326–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.09.011
Greenfield, P. M. and Subrahmanyam, K. (2003) Online discourse in a teen chatroom: New codes and new modes of coherence in a visual medium. Applied Developmental Psychology 24: 713–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2003.09.005
Harrison, C. (2008) Real men do wear mascara: advertising discourse and masculine identity. Critical Discourse Studies 5 (1): 55–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17405900701768638
Hester, S. and Eglin, P. (eds) (1997) Culture and Action: Studies in Membership Categorization Analysis. washington: University Press of america
Hill, d. B. (2006) ‘Feminine’ heterosexual men: Subverting heteropatriarchal sexual scripts?’ The Journal of Men’s Studies 14 (2): 145–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.3149/jms.1402.145
Horne, J. and wiggins, S. (2009) doing being ‘on the edge’: Managing the dilemma of being authentically suicidal in an online forum. Sociology of Health and Illness 31 (2): 170–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01130.x
Jayyusi, L. (1984) Categorization and the Moral Order. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Jefferson, G. (1984) Transcription notation. In J. atkinson and J. Heritage (eds) Structures of Social Interaction. New york: Cambridge University Press.
Jefferson, G. (1991) List construction as a task and a resource. In G. Psathas (ed.) Interactional Competence. New york: Irvington Publications.
Klein, Calvin (2008) Featured for one week beginning 15 april, retrieved 3 august 2008. For images: http://www.cku.com/home/index.jsp
Kollock, P. (ed.) (1999) Communities in Cyberspace. London: Routledge.
MacInnes, J. (2001) The crisis of masculinity and the politics of identity. In S. M. whitehead and F. J. Barrett, The Masculinities Reader. Cambridge: Polity Press.
MacRumours (2005) ‘Metrosexuals?’ retrieved, 8 January 2008, http://forums. macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=163687
Miller, T. (2006) a metrosexual eye on queer guy. Lesbian and Gay Studies 11 (1): 112–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/10642684-11-1-112
Moursand, J. (1997) Sanctuary: Social support on the internet. In J. E. Behar (ed.) Mapping Cyber-space: Social Research on the Electronic Frontier. Oakdale, New york: dowling College Press.
Purasia (2008) The emergence of the gastrosexual. Retrieved 21 July 2008 http://www.gastrosexual.com/EmergenceoftheGastrosexual.pdf
Sacks, H. (1972) On the analysability of stories by children. In R. Turner (ed.) Ethnomethodology. Middlesex: Penguin Education.
Sacks, H. (1992) Lectures on Conversation. Oxford: Blackwell.
Salzman, M., Matathia, I. and O’Reilly, a. (2005) The Future of Men. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schegloff, E. a. (2007) a tutorial on membership categorization. Journal of Pragmatics 39: 462–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.07.007
Silverman, d. (1998) Harvey Sacks: Social Science and Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Silverman, d. (2006) Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. (3rd Edition) London: Sage.
Simpson, M. (1994) Here come the mirror men. The Independent November 15, 1994.
Simpson, M. (2002) Meet the Metrosexual. Salon – retrieved January 4, 2008 http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2002/07/22/metrosexual/index2.html
Simpson, R. (2005) Men in non-traditional occupations: Career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain. Gender, Work and Organisation 12 (4): 363–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2005.00278.x
Slouka, M. (1995) War of the Worlds: Cyberspace and the High-Tech Assault on Reality. New york: Basic Books.
Smith, d. (1978) K is mentally ill: The anatomy of a factual account. Sociology 12: 23–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003803857801200103
Speer, S. (2005) Gender Talk: Feminism, Discourse and Conversation Analysis. Hove: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203321447
Sproull, L. and Kiesler, S. (1991) Connections. Cambridge, Ma: MIT Press.
Stokoe, E. H. (2003) ‘Mothers, Single women and Sluts: Gender, Morality and Membership Categorization in Neighbour disputes.’ Feminism & Psychology 13: 317–344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959353503013003006
Turkle, S. (1997) Life on the Screen. London: Phoenix.
Vallis, R. (2001) applying membership categorization analysis to chat-room talk. In a. McHou and M. Rapley (eds) How to Analyse Talk in Institutional Settings: A Casebook of Methods. London: Continuum.
West, C. and Garcia, a. (1988) Conversational shift work: a study of topical transitions between man and women. Social Problems 35 (5): 551–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/sp.1988.35.5.03a00060
Wetherell, M. (1998) Positioning and interpretative repertoires: Conversation analysis and post-structuralism in dialogue. Discourse and Society 9 (3): 387–412. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957926598009003005
Wetherell, M. and Edley, N. (1999) Negotiating hegemonic masculinity: Imaginary positions and psycho-discursive practices. Feminism and Psychology 9 (3): 335–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959353599009003012
Whitehead, S. M. and Barrett, F. J. (2001) The Masculinities Reader. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Widdicombe, S. and woofitt, R. (1990) ‘Being’ versus ‘doing’ punk: On achieving authenticity as a member. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 9 (4): 257–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261927X9094003
Winzelburg, a. (1997) The analysis of an electronic support group for individuals with eating disorders. Computers in Human Behaviour 13 (3): 393–407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(97)00016-2
Wowk, M. T. (1984) Blame allocation, sex and gender in a murder interrogation. Women’s Studies International Forum 7 (1): 75–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0277-5395(84)90087-6
Published
2012-09-10
Issue
Section
Regular Articles
How to Cite
Hall, M., Gough, B., Seymour-Smith, S., & Hansen, S. (2012). On-line constructions of metrosexuality and masculinities: A membership categorization analysis. Gender and Language, 6(2), 379-403. https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.v6i2.379
