In Male Impersonators, Mark Simpson explores the range of male life and masculinity, posing witty and important questions about bodybuilding, tatoos, pornography, cruising, advertising, and team sports. Simpson looks at how gay men appropriate the skinhead phenomenon and why; how Marky Mark exploits the hustler mystique and hwat it says to gay and straight men; how the Men's movement is being sought out by men--straight or gay--who feel alienated from a macho culture, and compares the participation and reactions of men to various "manly pursuits." Throughout, Male Impersonators examines the roles of homoeroticism and narcissism in the male world, and the performativity of masculinity itself.
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Review
‘A clever, engaging set of essays… very incisive.’ -- The Guardian
‘Brilliant.... Simpson capers like Robin Goodfellow, stripping off the fig leaves with exuberance.’ -- The Observer
‘Mark simpson could do for male sexuality what Camille Paglia did for women....’ -- Melody Maker
‘Simpson pulls the pants off popular culture and wittily winks at the freudian symbols lurking beneath.’ 4/4 stars -- The Modern Review
‘This set of high-spirited essays displays more insight into the masculine mystique than has the decade of earnest men’s studies that preceded it.‘ -- Choices --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
‘Brilliant.... Simpson capers like Robin Goodfellow, stripping off the fig leaves with exuberance.’ -- The Observer
‘Mark simpson could do for male sexuality what Camille Paglia did for women....’ -- Melody Maker
‘Simpson pulls the pants off popular culture and wittily winks at the freudian symbols lurking beneath.’ 4/4 stars -- The Modern Review
‘This set of high-spirited essays displays more insight into the masculine mystique than has the decade of earnest men’s studies that preceded it.‘ -- Choices --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
THE year 1993 may well come to be seen as a watershed in the study of modern masculinity. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE year 1993 may well come to be seen as a watershed in the study of modern masculinity. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
AN INSPIRATION TO TARANTINO?
10 April 2000
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
One of the most interesting - and funniest - books I've ever read, and certainly by far the best on masculinity. I especially enjoyed the masterpiece chapter on the movie 'Top Gun' which completely convincingly interprets it as a gay movie and shows how Cruise's real interest is Val Kilmer not Kelly McGillis.
Shortly after this book was published Quentin Tarantino appeared in a film called 'Sleep With Me' arguing this exact point. I wonder if he had a copy of Simpson's book in his dressing-room?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why "Masculinity" Still Rules
17 Mar 2012
By Ann W. Herendeen
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
...and "femininity" is still dangerous.
I can't add much to the (deserved) glowing reviews for this collection of essays that is now 18 years old and as radical, relevant and challenging to unreflective fashionable opinions as when it first appeared. Simpson understands men and writes honestly about them in ways that so many writers can't or won't.
As other reviewers have mentioned--and it still bears repeating: Simpson's most important message may be that gay men are men and same-sex orientation is just one way of being a man, of being "masculine," out of many equally "masculine" ways of being.
Simpson's embrace of Freudian theory holds up well and is an excellent support for his arguments. Rather than feeling outdated, the references and ideas come across as refreshing and thought-provoking. For this reader, whose only familiarity with Freud is pop culture's oversimplification bordering on ridicule, Simpson's clear explication of Freud's ideas, and his convincing way of using them to analyze male attitudes and behavior, is an enticing introduction that made me want to read the original.
My favorite chapter was the last, "Popular men: manly and unmanly," which includes an analysis of the brilliant comedy team Laurel and Hardy and their films from the 1920s and 30s. Simpson shows that the homoerotic elements in the comedy are both genuinely "sexual," as some gay activists have claimed, and at the same time "innocent." The sweetness in the humor is perhaps the last remnant of a time when same-sex love could hide in plain sight under the guise of comedy, and when love between men did not necessarily imply "buggery-pokery," as Simpson so delightfully calls it.
Anybody who likes men, is interested in them, or just wants to read a well-written, humorous yet serious book about a major cultural obsession should not miss this book. It's now out in a Kindle edition as well as the paperback, but since the Kindle edition lacks linked footnotes and table of contents, it's a frustrating read for any except the most casual readers.
I can't add much to the (deserved) glowing reviews for this collection of essays that is now 18 years old and as radical, relevant and challenging to unreflective fashionable opinions as when it first appeared. Simpson understands men and writes honestly about them in ways that so many writers can't or won't.
As other reviewers have mentioned--and it still bears repeating: Simpson's most important message may be that gay men are men and same-sex orientation is just one way of being a man, of being "masculine," out of many equally "masculine" ways of being.
Simpson's embrace of Freudian theory holds up well and is an excellent support for his arguments. Rather than feeling outdated, the references and ideas come across as refreshing and thought-provoking. For this reader, whose only familiarity with Freud is pop culture's oversimplification bordering on ridicule, Simpson's clear explication of Freud's ideas, and his convincing way of using them to analyze male attitudes and behavior, is an enticing introduction that made me want to read the original.
My favorite chapter was the last, "Popular men: manly and unmanly," which includes an analysis of the brilliant comedy team Laurel and Hardy and their films from the 1920s and 30s. Simpson shows that the homoerotic elements in the comedy are both genuinely "sexual," as some gay activists have claimed, and at the same time "innocent." The sweetness in the humor is perhaps the last remnant of a time when same-sex love could hide in plain sight under the guise of comedy, and when love between men did not necessarily imply "buggery-pokery," as Simpson so delightfully calls it.
Anybody who likes men, is interested in them, or just wants to read a well-written, humorous yet serious book about a major cultural obsession should not miss this book. It's now out in a Kindle edition as well as the paperback, but since the Kindle edition lacks linked footnotes and table of contents, it's a frustrating read for any except the most casual readers.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wicked good
1 April 2011
By Christopher Marlowe
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like most of Simpson's writings, witty and mischievous and iconoclastic. My only minor gripe would be with what I view as Simpson's tendentious application of Freudian theory, which strikes me as a little outdated now. Otherwise, this book is great fun, with some marvelous paradoxical insights.
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4.9 out of 5 stars
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