The catharsis of male consumption: Reimagining masculinity in India

Abstract

Research on alternate masculinity from India that emphasize consumption and consequent subjective well-being (SWB) is primarily about gay men. However, our research points to different marginal masculinity, alternate consumption, and consecutive SWB.The present study uses in-depth interview methods to uncover the "marginal" masculinity of a group of urban, upper-middle-class, heterosexual Indian men.We probe their consumption as a part of their identity project referred to as cathartic. Such consumption leads to a sense of high subjective consumer well-being amidst an otherwise patriarchally defined Indian consumptionscape. This almost fledgling group of men relates itself to the shifting world order of normative masculinity, denounces the patriarchal norms, betrays the cause of male privilege, empathetically responds to the paradigms of femininity, accepts the fall of hegemonic forms of masculinity, and is sensitive toward "others" and ecological/sustainability issues. We further argue that this "cathartic masculinity," as evident through their consumption, may impact the fledging gender-fluid marketplace of tomorrow.

Troubling genderS and consumer well‐being: Going across, between and beyond the binaries to gender/sex/ual and intersectional diversity

“…It is held in place because it supports and is supported by other systems of oppression ((neo)imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism) and often acts in concert with other forms of domination (e.g., racism, ableism, bodyism, ageism, classism, colonialism, ethnocentrism) to sustain inequities (hooks, 2013; Puar, 2017). Despite work that recognizes the importance of an intersectionality perspective (e.g., Gopaldas & Siebert, 2018; Rinallo et al, 2023; Sobande et al, 2020; Steinfield & Holt, 2020; Steinfield, Sanghvi, et al, 2019; Veresiu & Parmentier, 2021) and a growth in work that explores non‐Western experiences of gender/sex/uality (e.g., Das et al, 2023; Liu & Kozinets, 2022; Mady et al, 2023; Mitra et al, 2022; Ndichu & Rittenburg, 2021; Steinfield et al, 2020; Steinfield, Coleman, et al, 2019; Varman et al, 2018; Venugopal & Viswanathan, 2021; Walther & Schouten, 2016; Yalkin & Veer, 2018), a lacuna still exists, particularly when compared to the dominant approaches of gender/sex studies (Steinfield, Littlefield, et al, 2019). With this special issue we sought to address these under‐researched areas and offer a wider, more inclusive and encompassing view of genderS.…”