Reconstructing Masculinity and Sexuality

Philaretou, Andreas G.; Allen, Katherine R.

doi:10.3149/jms.0903.301

Cited by 52 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Masculinity has been privileged within conventional heterosexuality (e.g., Holland et al, 1998;Philaretou & Allen, 2001), and our analysis supports an ongoing overall privileging of male sexuality in women's magazines. In Cleo and Cosmo men's sexual needs/desires were prioritised.…”

Section: Implications For Female Sexuality Gender and Gender Relationssupporting

confidence: 76%

‘Most of Us Guys are Raring to Go Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere’: Male and Female Sexuality in Cleo and Cosmo

2006

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Women's magazines are a popular site for analysis of socio-cultural messages about gender, sex, and sexuality. We analyzed six consecutive issues of Cosmopolitan and Cleo to identify the ways in which they construct and represent male and female sexuality. Overall, male sexuality was prioritised, 'real' heterosex was depicted as penetrative, and orgasm was given precedence. Two main accounts of male and female sexuality were identified. Men's need for (great) sex positioned men as easily aroused and sexually satisfied, but women as needing to develop 'great' sexual skills to keep their men from 'straying.' Accounts of pleasure, performance, and the male ego represented men as concerned about women's pleasure, about their own sexual performance and as sensitive about suggested sexual 'inadequacies.' We discuss the implications of these constructions for women's gendered (sexual) subjectivity, sexual practices, and identities.Keywords Women's magazines . Heterosexuality . Male/female sexuality . Sex . Gender Women's magazines provide an abundance of readily available advice regarding sex and sexual practice, and, as such, they are a popular site for feminist analyses of sociocultural messages about sex and sexuality, as well as about femininity, and, more recently, about masculinity. In the present study, we continued and expanded the feminist academic interest in cultural messages about sex and sexuality. We focused on two popular women's lifestyle magazines, Cleo and Cosmopolitan (Cosmo), and on the constructions of male and female sexuality contained within them. A critical focus on masculinities (and indeed male sexualities) fits within recent theorising of masculinity as constructed, and thus as deconstructable (e.g., Potts, 2002), and with feminist interest in this area (e.g., Gardiner, 2002;Ramazanoglu, 1992;Robinson, 2003). Here we discuss how these magazines construct female sexuality through their depiction of male and female sexuality, as male and female sexuality were intricately linked in most accounts. Specifically, we consider the implications of these representations of (hetero)sexuality for women, as women are the target audience of such magazines. Reading Women's MagazinesOver the last three decades, a considerable amount of feminist research has been carried out on women's magazines (e.g.,

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Section: Implications For Female Sexuality Gender and Gender Relationssupporting

confidence: 76%

‘Most of Us Guys are Raring to Go Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere’: Male and Female Sexuality in Cleo and Cosmo

2006

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“…Gender studies suggest that men are perceived as aggressive, risk takers, dominant, and successful (Blazine, 2004;Marsiglio & Greer, 1994;Payne, 2000;Philaretou & Allen, 2001;Robertson, Johnson, & Benton, 2002;Solomon & Szwabo, 1994;Thompson, 1994). Women are perceived to have low self-esteem, to value emotional connectedness, and to present as submissive and emotionally expressive (Lynott & McCandless, 2000;Philaretou & Allen;Robertson et al).…”

Section: Homelessness Age and Gendermentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Women are perceived to have low self-esteem, to value emotional connectedness, and to present as submissive and emotionally expressive (Lynott & McCandless, 2000;Philaretou & Allen;Robertson et al). When individuals are perceived as old, the traits ascribed to their gender are minimized.…”

Section: Homelessness Age and Gendermentioning

confidence: 96%

Perceptions of Students about Younger and Older Men and Women who May Be Homeless

Kane

Green

Jacobs

2010

Journal of Social Service Research

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Future human service providers will interact with homeless persons in health, mental health, and social service practice contexts. This study investigated the perceptions of students enrolled in social work courses who are pursuing degrees in human service programs toward older and younger female and male homeless individuals. Respondents (N = 207) were given one of four vignettes in which a character was identified as an older male, a younger male, an older female, or a younger female who was frequently seen near an interstate highway, talking to him/herself and appearing unkempt, thin, and frail. Most respondents perceived the vignette character as mentally ill, neglectful of health, likely to have HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis A and/or hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C, likely to experience suicidal thoughts/ideation, and to have head lice/scabies/body lice. Older men were more likely to be perceived as military veterans with a history of mental illness and substance abuse. Older women were least likely to be perceived as having a history of substance abuse or using a handout to purchase ethanol. Older women were perceived to be homeless because they could not afford other living accommodations. A general linear model revealed significant differences in 7 of 41 items that respondents answered based on the gender and age of the vignette characters. These perceptual differences between male and female homeless persons will require additional investigation.The attitudes of social workers and other human service professionals toward homeless persons may impact intervention, service delivery, and willingness to work with these populations. There is little literature investigating the perceptions of people preparing for human service careers toward older and younger homeless women and men and whether perceptual differences ex-).ist toward homeless persons based on the age and gender of the homeless person. It was hypothesized that there would be differences in how older and younger homeless men and women are viewed.Because homelessness occurs throughout the lifespan and to consider whether age and gender impacted beliefs and perceptions, four 261

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“…In relation to the second objective, two validation coefficients were targeted: masculinity and body image. Masculinity, a socially constructed phenomenon (Sanchez, Greenberg, Liu, & Vilain, 2009), refers to all those qualities and activities that convey a sense of''maleness''to an individual (Philaretou & Allen, 2001). Abiding by the standards of hegemonic (i.e., traditional) masculinity can have dangerous consequences for men's psychological functioning (Goldberg, 1976;Good, Heppner, DeBord, & Fischer, 2004;Harrison, Chin, & Ficarrotto, 1992;Liu, Rochlen, & Mohr, 2005;Pollack, 1998;Sharpe & Heppner, 1991).…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, heterosexual men are taught from childhood to operate in accordance with a heterosexual script which teaches men how to act, feel, and behave in sexual encounters (Sandfort & de Keizer, 2001), whereas gay men define their sexuality through the coming out process, which consists of rejecting the heterosexual script (Campbell & Whiteley, 2006). Second, sex roles and positions have power-related symbolic meanings (Philaretou & Allen, 2001;Underwood, 2003). The sexual acts performed between two men or between a man and a woman are similar but the power dynamics may differ.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Gay Male Sexual Difficulties Scale

2016

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Sexual difficulties (i.e., disturbances in normal sexual responding) have the potential to significantly and negatively affect men's social and psychological well-being. However, a review of published measurement tools indicates that most have limited applicability to gay men, and none offer a nuanced understanding of sexual difficulties, as experienced by members of this population. To address this omission, the Gay Male Sexual Difficulties Scale (GMSDS) was developed using a sequential mixed-methods approach. The 25-item GMSDS uses a 6-point frequency Likert-type response format and examines: difficulties with receptive and insertive anal intercourse (5 items each); erectile difficulties (4 items); foreskin difficulties (4 items); body embarrassment (4 items); and seminal fluid concerns (3 items). The measure's scale score dimensionality, assessed using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as scale score reliability and validity (e.g., known-groups and convergent) was tested and deemed to be satisfactory. Limitations of the current series of studies and directions for future research are discussed.

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Reconstructing Masculinity and Sexuality

Cited by 52 publications

References 15 publications

‘Most of Us Guys are Raring to Go Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere’: Male and Female Sexuality in Cleo and Cosmo

‘Most of Us Guys are Raring to Go Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere’: Male and Female Sexuality in Cleo and Cosmo

Perceptions of Students about Younger and Older Men and Women who May Be Homeless

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Gay Male Sexual Difficulties Scale

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