Hard Looks

This study examines the significance of representations of masculinity with particular focus on the consumer industries, building a form of cultural analysis that draws together the study of "texts" and "institutions". Hard Looks is a fascinating examination of the new masculine imagery that has developed in relation to popular consumption over the last decade. the author skilfully investigates the development of this 'new man' imagery and its relationship to contemporary formations of masculinity and masculine culture. Focusing on the emergence in the mid-1980s of a wide range of new representations of masculinity in the retail, advertising and publishing industries, the author analyses the practices and derives used to underpin the production and circulation of this imagery. The author traces the novelty of these commercially produced representations and analyses their role in producing a space for an ambivalent masculine sexual identity. Drawing strongly on contemporary cultural theory, Hard Looks combines stimulating theoretical debates on representation and cultural identity with authoritative empirical research on the media and retail industries. This lively and innovative study will prove essential reading for sociologists interested in the study of men and masculinities and students of culture, media and gender studies.