Performing American Masculinities: The 21st-Century Man in Popular Culture

This collection highlights the fluidity of masculinity in American
popular culture at the turn of the new millennium and beyond by examining
possibilities for male identity formation. Each chapter mines American popular
culture -- theatre, film, literature, music, advertising, internet content,
television, photography, and current events -- to pose questions about the process
of gender creation and the contestation of masculinities as constantly changing
political forms. The first section explores masculinities within late capitalism and
includes studies of Seinfeld, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and reality
television. The second section addresses identity when masculinity intersects with
race, religion, disability, and sexuality, including chapters on Barack Obama, the
O.J. trial, and popular movies.