The Discursive Construction of Masculinity in Greek Mens

The Discursive Construction of Masculinity in Greek Men’s Lifestyle Magazines: the Case of Nitro. Konstantia Kosetzi and Alexandra Polyzou, Lancaster University, UK 14 TH SYMPOSIUM ON CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS Athens, 20 -21 May 2005

“The starting point for CDA is social issues and problems” (Fairclough, 2001: 229). Gender is such an issue (Sunderland, 2004: 10 -11). Gender “entails any differences between women and men being socially or culturally learned, mediated or constructed. Gender thus contrasts with the biological essentialism of the term sex” (Sunderland, 2004: 10 -14). “Gender can … be seen … as an idea, or set of ideas, articulated in and as discourse” (Sunderland, 2004: 18).

Theoretical Framework Fairclough’s CDA, the (1992) version TEXT DISCURSIVE PRACTICE (production, distribution, consumption) SOCIAL PRACTICE

Discourse: (count noun) “a way of signifying experience from a particular perspective” (Fairclough, 1993: 138). Gendered discourses “If masculinity is socially constructed, one of the primary elements in that construction is the representations of manhood that we see daily in the mass media…Media representations tell us who we are, who we should be, and who we should avoid” (Kimmel, 1992: foreword).

‘The focus on men’s magazines … is able to illuminate aspects of the condition of modern masculinity and recent discursive shifts associated with gender politics’ (Benwell, 2003: 7). Hegemonic Masculinity The ‘New Lad’ in men’s magazines (Benwell 2002; 2003) ‘the dominant form, the one that counts as normal’ (Talbot 1995: 191) ‘always constructed in relation to various subordinated masculinities as well as in relation to women’ (Connell 1987: 138)

Interdiscursive analysis (e. g. Fairclough, 1992) Linguistic analysis, based on traces: Presuppositions, Lexis, Comparisons, Negatives Intertextuality is significant since changing discursive practices are related with social changes (e. g. Fairclough, 1992).

Data Nitro n n n highest circulation men’s magazine (Eleytherotypia, 13/2/2005) most prototypical men’s lifestyle magazine (Polyzou 2004) Issue March 2005, SPECIAL ISSUE: MEN n Editorial n Articles marked as ‘Special issue: Men’

Data Analysis

‘Gender Differences’ (e. g. Hollway, 1984, 1989, Bem, 1993, Baxter, 2003, Sunderland, 2004) Comparisons: Σε αντίθεση με μία γυναίκα (p. 136) [As opposed to a woman] η δουλειά του είναι καλύτερη, πιο πολλά υποσχόμενη και, κυρίως, πιο κουραστική από αυτήν της γυναίκας του. (p. 136) [his job is better, more promising, and above all, more tiring than his wife’s. ] Η γυναίκα, όταν μιλάει για γκόμενο με τις φίλες της. . . Για την αντίπαλη πλευρά. . . (p. 138) [The woman, when she talks about a man with her female friends… When it comes to the opposite side…]

‘Gender Differences’ continued Presuppositions: Γι’αυτόν το τηλέφωνο δεν είναι το μέσο να συζητήσει το «πού θα πάει αυτή η σχέση» (p. 138) [For him, the phone is not the medium to discuss ‘where this relationship is going’] ο άντρας δεν έχει την ανάγκη να «διατηρεί επαφές» . (p. 140) [the man does not need to ‘keep contact’. ] Οργανικά και μόνο, ο άντρας λειτουργεί με το ημισφαίριο της λογικής. (p. 140) [Merely biologically, the man functions with the hemisphere of logic. ]

Subversion of ‘There Are No (Real) Men’ discourse Πώς τους κόλλησε αυτή η μαλακία. . . αλλά είναι σίγουρα αποτέλεσμα αυτής της χειραφέτησης νέου τύπου, που πολλές γυναίκες νομίζουν ότι έχουν κατακτήσει. (p. 19) [How did they get stuck with this bullshit [that real men do not exist] … but for sure, it is a result of this new type of emancipation that many women think they have achieved. ] δηλώνουμε όλες οι «χειραφετημένες» ότι δεν υπάρχουν πια άντρες. (p. 134) [all of us the ‘emancipated’ state that men do not exist anymore. ]

‘Celebration of Appearance in Men’ A male reader: «μου αρέσει να κάνω ανταύγειες στα μαλλιά μου…» . «Δεν υπάρχει τίποτα κακό στο να θέλει ένας άντρας να περιποιείται τον εαυτό του» , τον διέκοψα με στόμφο. (p. 134) [‘I like having highlights done to my hair. . . ’‘There is nothing wrong in a man wanting to groom himself’, I interrupted him with emphasis] Subversion of the ‘ Celebration of Appearance in Men’ discourse «υμνώντας» την αποενοχοποίηση της αντρικής κοκεταρίας και θηλυπρέπειας. (p. 134) [‘praising’ the exculpation of men’s coquetry and effeminacy. ] από πότε είναι πιο «μοντέρνο» να κάνει ισιωτική από το να ζητάει. . . να του αραιώσει λίγο τα πλαΐνά; (p. 134) [since when is it more ‘fashionable’ to have his hair straightened than having it cut … a little at the sides? ]

‘The Real Male’ discourse Ο ΤΕΛΕΙΟΣ ΑΝΤΡΑΣ, Ο ΑΝΤΡΑΣ Ο ΣΩΣΤΟΣ (p. 132). [THE PERFECT MAN, THE RIGHT MAN] An overarching discourse ‘Heterosexuality’ ‘Man as Work. Obsessed’ ‘Male Sexual Drive’ ‘Men are Afraid of Commitment’ ‘The Vulgar Man’ ‘Sporty Masculinity’

The ‘Male Sexual Drive’ subdiscourse (Hollway 1984, 1989) βλέπουν με τα σαγόνια κάτω την Αντζελίνα Τζολί (p. 134) [they drool when the see Angelina Jolie] ο απώτερος σκοπός της εξόδου είναι η εύρεση πρόθυμου θηλυκού. (p. 138) [the ultimate goal of going out is the finding of a willing female. ] Όταν ξενοπηδάει, φταίει η φύση του «κυνηγού» , γιατί είναι άντρας και λύγισε/ μέθυσε/ ανανεώθηκε. (p. 138) [When he sleeps around, it is because of the ‘hunter’s’ nature, because he is a man and he cracked/got drunk/got rejuvenated]. «Από δω και πέρα θα το κάνω μόνο μ’αυτή, Θεέ μου; » (p. 141) [Oh my God, from now on, will I have sex only with her? ] [i. e. he is polygamous]

The ‘Sporty Masculinity’ subdiscourse (Connell, 1995) Η αντρική φυλή στο σφύριγμα του kick-off θυμίζει. . . τσιμπούσι. . . που ξεκινά γιατί όλα τα προβλήματα έχουν λυθεί (p. 134) [the male tribe at the kick-off reminds of … a feast… that starts because all the problems are solved] Η νίκη. . . θα αποτελεί την πιο ευτυχισμένη στιγμή της ζωής του, ενώ έχει μεσολαβήσει η γέννηση του πρώτου γιου, η μέρα του γάμου, η αγορά Ferrari (p. 134) [Victory … will be the happiest moment in his life, while his first son has been born, he has got married and he has bought a Ferrari] Είναι η πεμπτουσία του «boys will be boys» (p. 134) [It is the quintessence of ‘boys will be boys’]

‘Man as Work-obsessed’ subdiscourse (Tetlow, 1991) η δουλειά είναι η επιβεβαίωση της ύπαρξής του. Δε δουλεύει μόνο για τα λεφτά. Μέσα από τη δουλειά του συμβάλλει στη σωτηρία του κόσμου. (p. 135) [work is the confirmation of his existence. He does not work only for money. Through his job he contributes to the salvation of the world. ] την Καριέρα του (p. 136) [his Career] [note the capital letter] πραγματικά τη νιώθει [τη δουλειά] σαν την παιδική χαρά του και, ακόμα συχνότερα, σαν το καταφύγιο (p. 136) [he really feels [work to be] like his playground, and even more frequently, like his refuge]

Conclusion There are some men who are not ‘real men’ Yet there are still a lot of ‘real men’ (hegemonic masculinity), who have stereotypical ‘masculine’ traits. The ‘Real Male’ of Nitro bears similarities to ‘New Lad’ of English magazines. Why? Consumerism Influence from English magazines (Benwell 2003) ‘Backlash’ reaction to social changes due to feminist progress in Greece, which were ‘at a speed too accelerated to be assimilated’ (Phylactou 1992: 132 -133)

Contact us: Konstantia Kosetzi (k. kosetzi@lancaster. ac. uk) Alexandra Polyzou (a. polyzou@lancaster. ac. uk) Department of Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University, LA 1 4 YT, Lancaster, U. K.