“To be the man—you gotta beat the man!”
-Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair
How does the role of masculinity and gender in wrestling reflect American culture?
When I was 9 years old, I was drawn into the world of wrestling. Home to some of the biggest icons in popular culture, wrestling has been a spectacle in the industry of entertainment for many years, drawing fans from all different age groups and genders. But what makes such a product the “male soap opera” that it is? It is a place where men are able to act out our drama…
In my paper I plan to examine the role of gender and masculinity in wrestling. Some the questions I plan to ask include: How do personas and gimmick (characters) in wrestling portray and support the patriarchy of masculinity? What is the role of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in the way that they support this drive for masculinity within the wrestling world? How are women viewed in the eye of the male gaze in the wrestling environment? There’s a lot about gaining respect and being the champion—becoming the alpha-male—in the story-world of wrestling that reflects the way our society works, and several theories that we’ve studied—feminism, hegemony, and ideology—can be represented in this piece of text.
I plan on focusing on books, articles, blogs, videos, interviews, etc for my research. The reason why I might venture into blogs and interviews is because I also plan on studying the way it is received by the audience, concerning masculinity. When I was 16 years old, I had 10 good friends of mine (all male) come over and watch WrestleMania 20. Brooker’s group viewing of Star Wars reminded me of this experience and made me think a lot about how significant the event was.
Oppliger, Patrice A. Wrestling and hypermasculinity. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, c2004
Sehmby, Dalbir, “Wrestling and Popular Culture” CLCWeb Volume4 Issue 1 (March 2002) Article 5 <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1144&context=clcweb>
Soulliere, Danielle M.”Wrestling with masculinity: messages about manhood in the WWE.”
Sex Roles: A Journal of Research (July 2006) <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_55/ai_n19328330/?tag=content;col1>
Dustin, this topic seems interesting. We discussed pro wrestling in my Sports, Media, and Identity class this past fall and read “Never Trust a Snake: WWF Wrestling as Masculine Melodrama” by Henry Jenkins (which is a chapter in Aaron Baker and Todd Boyd’s book, Out of Bounds: Sports, Media, and the Politics of Identity). Jenkins’ piece was interesting and I think it could be helpful for you.
It’s great that you are looking at this in terms of gender and sexuality. It might be interesting also to consider race and nationality with respect to masculinity and wrestling. You might want to take a look at Gail Bederman’s book Manliness and Civilization, which starts off talking about boxing but has some relevant ideas to your topic. Good luck!
Hey Dustin, I found that film I mentioned after class. It’s called “Wrestling with Manhood” and is a full-length documentary on exactly what you are proposing. The queer reading of the WWE from the middle of the film is great!
Dustin,
This is a strong topic with a good focus on gender and identity. I think the idea of interviewing your friends is a good one, but be sure to leave enough time for the process. Your classmates have chimed in with some of the sources I was going to point you toward! Good luck,
-JM
It would be interesting to take a look at the portrayal of wrestling in films, specifically “The Wrestler” comes to mind as they in turn are offering a commentary on professional wrestling which might be useful to you.