My friend Summer, she who previously proposed the virginity thread, is rapidly becoming NSWATM’s leading provider of interesting post ideas.
Lots of videos below the cut; skip if on a slow connection
I previously boycotted LMFAO for reasons of rape culture and also suck, but their latest song Sexy and I Know It is very interesting from a Myth of Men Not Being Hot perspective, because it presents ordinary men as sexually attractive. The singers in the video are pasty-white, slightly pudgy and generally possess “average” bodies; their rivals are buff, tanned and stereotypically physically attractive. Nevetheless, the singers win the contest.
Even more interesting is the style of dancing LMFAO does in this video: they thrust and generally dance in a sexualized way typically reserved for female dancers, and yet it doesn’t really come off as feminine; their bits flop around, reminiscent of the way real penises would, as opposed to being stationary bulges.
Unfortunately, LMFAO managed to ruin all this anti-kyriarchal niceness by “proving” the hotness of the singers through their acquisition of conventionally attractive girls to feel up their muscles. Sigh.
Speaking of men with choreography typically reserved for female dancers, look at these three fine young fellows, dancing around to Beyonce’s Single Ladies. It really highlights the artificial nature of feminine sexualized performance to see it on male bodies that are not typically taken as sexualized.
Also, Purple Haze has some pretty badass dancers.
Not that it’s impossible to do a male-bodied and extremely sexualized performance. Here we have Evegeni Plushenko, the Russian ice skater, skating to Sex Bomb. He has a particularly masculine swagger to the choreography of this song (not to mention those huge fake muscles), but nonetheless extremely sexual. I mean, it’s a striptease. And watch him work those hips!
It’s interesting that even in this performance, which is telegraphing “this is supposed to be masculine”, you still get bits that “read” as feminine, simply because of how non-used we are to seeing masculine male figures sexualized.
And finally, we have Mr. Too Gay for Figure Skating himself, the inexpressably sparkly Johnny Weir. I don’t have a comment, really, except ohmigodthepretteh.
Nothing better than Kazaky. Ukrainian male dance group. They dance in heels, sometimes strip, and their choreographies are more “feminine” and many times sensual/sexual:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhN5yv8lvdc
I’d like to point out that Single Ladies is about taunting the singer’s ex for not wanting to get married by flaunting the singer’s sexuality (and her new beau) in his face. It even says she deserves the ex’s love, as if she has some sort of right to it, and the sole right to dictate the terms of the relationship. Ironically, she tells him to say he “owns” her or she leaves, which seems self-contradictory. There was one old film I saw where two of the “masculine” heroes are set upon by thugs in an alley. They are having… Read more »
Monkey, that is fantastic!
First time commenting on this blog, so it might be something that is taken for granted that i haven’t picked on yet, but – with the disclaimer out of the way – it seems to me that after all, what is seen as masculine or feminine depends as much (if not more so) on the observer, as on the performer. Specifically, in your comments about the Evgeni Plushenko clip, you say: “It’s interesting that even in this performance, which is telegraphing “this is supposed to be masculine”, you still get bits that “read” as feminine, simply because of how non-used… Read more »
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK0H3jEwUYc&w=560&h=315%5D
oddly enough, i was just watching this video the other day and noticed how “feminine” the lead singer’s dancing movements are, without really understanding why i thought that per se. this was a really interesting post to read, but it doesn’t negate how attractive i find him – gender stereotypes aside. reading what you wrote gave me an opportunity to reflect on that, so thank you! i’m glad i just stumbled across your blog and am excited to catch up on your entries in the future 🙂
@marc2020:
It’s “Deer Hunter”, even if “Dear Hunter” might be more appropriate in a discussion like this… 😉
@Daisy DeadHead:
Check this out. He was near 80 when he did this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Qpub-qYUM
Just noticed: In the post above, it’s supposed to say “it was my first impression of the video that it was ironic” in the second sentence of the second paragraph.
Thank you for the great videos. Ozy, I’m not sure that LMFAO video is intended to present ordinary men as sexually attractive. It was my first impression of it, and after looking around, the wikipedia article on it says it’s intended as a parody. Todd In the Shadows from the That Guy with the Glasses website criticised it for mocking the idea that men could revel in their sexual attractiveness (it was in a deliberately ‘serious’ and over-analysing rant intended for humorous effect, but I’m pretty sure the criticism reflects his actual opinion), and comparing it to Right Said Fred’s… Read more »
Thank you Jay, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Monkey: Actually, and this has derail potential, and I apologize for this, but all the talk of Astaire and Rogers brings to mind the old quote about “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and with high heels.” Whenever I see Astaire, I think “no she didn’t.” No human danced liked Astaire. True, Monkey, it was like Keith Moon drumming three beats to everyone else’s one beat–he added in several more steps, to her one. Ginger always said Fred realized she was wearing high heels and never expected… Read more »
Regarding the quote about the Beyonce video: “It really highlights the artificial nature of feminine sexualized performance to see it on male bodies that are not typically taken as sexualized.” I actually see the artificial nature being highlighted not so much because it is men doing a typically feminine performance, but more because, while the guys were imitating her body movements and postures, they weren’t doing it exactly. Specifically, they dressed as men, wearing men’s flat (not dance) shoes, while Beyonce and her cohorts did that dance in high heels. High heels, for all their ridiculousness, really do shape the… Read more »
IDiom –
Since European men are, by and large, the same race I am, race don’t enter into it. Race is just as subjective as culture, however, in terms of sexual preference, so your accusation is much more empty than you think.
It would take pages to define masculine. It includes things like eye contact, which are frequently taboo in Europe (particularly in the the more English parts of the UK – no generalizations can be made about the whole of the UK or of Europe on this, or any other specific, point).
I really wish we could do away with the ‘real men don’t dance’ thing (which is why I love this thread) because IMHO there is nothing hotter than a guy that is willing to dance.. doesn’t have to be that GOOD at it even, just willing to try and have a good time with it.
And what.. no Dirty Dancing? No original Footloose Angry Dance? NO FULL MONTY???
Actually, and this has derail potential, and I apologize for this, but all the talk of Astaire and Rogers brings to mind the old quote about “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and with high heels.”
Whenever I see Astaire, I think “no she didn’t.” No human danced liked Astaire.
This made me think of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r57pS5lPUUI
i’m not a fan of Emma Bunton (ex-Spice Girls), but I remember enjoying this video. The dancing is quite unusual, and there’s lots of bluring between the male and female dancers, which is pretty cool.
@ Daisy
You rock. Seriously. I *love* that Swing Time #. Ginger Rogers? Rawr! She had all the class I needed.
Also, @ monkey, my wife loves Meatloaf. If he doesn’t look sexy in that scene it’s only because young Tim Curry is standing *right* there. :O~ I swear that movie was one dominatrix away from being my Bible.
First off I really liked this thread. One of this blogs best. Ozy said, “It really highlights the artificial nature of feminine sexualized performance to see it on male bodies that are not typically taken as sexualized.” and “He has a particularly masculine swagger to the choreography of this song (not to mention those huge fake muscles), but nonetheless extremely sexual.” To me, most of all that had to do with broad shoulders. The Beyonce male dancers artificially hiding their broad shoulders. While the second video with the male ice skaters shoulders were inflated to be extra large. I know… Read more »
Speaking of Fatboy Slim, I had to post this. It’s just so wonderful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiXg_70rMeM&ob=av2e
@marc2020: Walken actually got his start as a dancer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_saqkW89y5o
And actually, as a young man he had an almost feminine grace. Seriously… look at the guy
Interestingly, a lot of men who could be considered slightly feminine in their looks usually counterbalance this with an aggressive maleness in the way they move. Even the aforementioned Michael Jackson danced “masculine.”
@The_L: That makes me feel good, because I’m closer to Meat Loaf than, say, Baryshnikoff 🙂
It reminds me of when I did karaoke… it really got a lot of my sexuality out that I don’t express normally. I would do songs within my range (Tom Jones, Elvis, Blood Sweat and Tears) and I knew people were sort of laughing, but I didn’t care.
@Monkey: Omg, Meatloaf. Do want. <3
Been looking for an excuse to post this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs
Not exactly an overtly feminine display I will admit but Christopher Walken is still a someone people associate with typically masculine culture especially with films like films like The Dear Hunter and King of New York, leaping and prancing around and looking like he’s enjoying ever minute of it. As a die hard Walken fan myself I love it.
@Lane: Heheheh. I’m trying to ruin your NaNoWriMo. Mwhaahahahaha!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7mzgUyw5X8&feature=related
Nooooo, Ozy! I was supposed to be working on advancing my NaNoWriMo word count, and instead I’m watching videos of sexy men dancing. Sigh. My favorite has gotta be Purple Haze. I have such a weakness for openly girly men.
Argh, stupid video, you are supposed to be embedded!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTHIeWmoASA