Toronto Metropolitan University
Browse

Cutting, Driving, Digging, and Harvesting: Re-masculinizing the Working-Class Heroic

Download (226.57 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2021-05-21, 15:05 authored by Augie Fleras, Shane Michael Dixon
Television portrayals of working-class males in blue-collar jobs have in the past proven unflattering at best, demeaning at worst. But a new breed of unscripted TV shows articulates a fundamentally different narrative about the unsung heroism of working-class men. This article explores the narratives and images associated with the re-masculinization of blue-collared working-class males as real men in contrast to conventional working-class misrepresentations as persons lacking self control, motivation and commitment. This genre of “macho” male programs constitutes a key ideological tool by which “hegemonic” narratives of conventional masculinity are internalized through the “pleasures of the media.” The authors conclude that, despite the recent valorization of blue-collar values, contributions, and identities, representational distortions and content omissions persist in portraying working class realities.

History

Language

eng

Usage metrics

    The Creative School

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC