What is it about?
The article discusses representations of Finnish ideal masculinity in advertisements, particularly in the launch campaign of a new cigarette brand.
Featured Image
Photo by Pablò on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The article deeply depicts the image of the 1990s new man, a 'softie', who was squeezed between the traditional war and work hero and the 2000s dudes and lads. The masculine imagery is approached through the work of a gay model presenting the ideal masculinity and this is the very first study to examine the complex relation between homosexual actor and heterosexual role. The male models were captured by a double paradox: they were "known" as gay, but "read" as straight.
Perspectives
In my autobiographical article, I present in depth the recent history of representations of masculinity to understand where today's representations of masculinity come from. They are never disconnected and ahistorical but always historical and contextual; they occur somewhere, at a certain time, and are built upon some previous image. And they never remain unchanged or become finalized. There is no essential and permanent ideal.
Kari Silvola
University of Jyväskylä
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “My Lies and Liaisons with Marilyn”, SQS – Suomen Queer-tutkimuksen Seuran lehti, December 2022, SQS-lehti,
DOI: 10.23980/sqs.125612.
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