Loading...
Sex scandals, reputational management, and masculinity under neoliberal conditions
Apostolidis, Paul Williams, Juliet A.
Apostolidis, Paul
Williams, Juliet A.
Abstract
This article presents political sex scandals as a critical site for understanding contemporary formations of masculinity under conditions of neoliberalism. While media coverage of sex scandals typically revolves around a spectacularized failure of a particular man to live up to an idealized image of masculinity, we contend that sex scandals represent momentary ruptures that lay bare historically specific contradictions of neoliberal masculine subjectivities. These inconsistencies reiterate abiding contradictions in dominant constructions of modern masculinity even as they assume unprecedented forms in today’s technoculture. To make this case, we examine several modern political sex scandals, including those involving Elliot Spitzer, Bob Filner, and Anthony Weiner.
Keywords
Date
2017
Type
Journal article
Journal
Sexualities: Studies in culture and society
Book
Volume
20
Issue
7
Page Range
793-814
Article Number
ACU Department
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled