View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository ASPIRATIONAL IDENTITY IN BRITISH “GAY MASCULINITY” 1991-2011 by KEN SEARLE A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Political Science and International Studies College of Social Sciences The University of Birmingham September 2014 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. In memory of Susi, warm and caring, and Tony, who I hope will be able to provide future analyses through his own experiences ‘No one takes pleasure from people making money out of the misery of others, but that is a function of capitalist markets’ George Osborne ‘If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?’ Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Abstract Much of the mainstream literature surrounding “masculine” lifestyle(s) in post-Thatcherite British politics reflects an aspirational identity, increasingly basing itself round neo-liberal binaries of “success” and “failure”, similar to sexual dichotomies of “gay abject” and “straight subject”. While “straight masculinity” remains validated through the (re)production of a “gay abject”, however, a neo-liberal identity with binaries of “success” and “failure” has become intersected through the emphasis on homonormativity in “gay” lifestyle(s), as demonstrated by the aspiration for a “Pink Pound”. To support the argument outlined, this thesis provides a new direction to studies of “gay masculinity”, examining the impact a consumerist approach has had on the two bestselling “gay” lifestyle(s) magazines between 1991 and 2011: Attitude and GT (previously known as Gay Times). In both magazines over the period covered, the desire for a “successful” identity as understood through neo-liberal discourse is demonstrated through textual analysis of the aspirational discourse and images (re)presented in both publications, specifically assessing the importance placed on signifiers of consumerism and celebrity role models. In selecting the most-read lifestyle(s) magazines in Britain over the period under study, I was able to un- derstand how mainstream forms of “gay masculine” identity had increasingly been under- pinned by discourse pertaining to consumerism as opposed to campaigns against perceived homophobia and inequality. In arguing that a neo-liberal binary of “success” and “failure” has become increasingly prevalent since 1991, with signifiers (re)constructing the former as aspirational, this thesis also notes that Attitude and Gay Times have remained uniquely di- rected at an explicitly “gay” audience, with emphasis being placed on homonormative forms of “success” being an easily attainable norm. The central argument of this thesis focuses on how “gay masculinity” in the British main- stream media has increasingly (re)presented neo-liberal conceptions of choice through vary- ing lifestyle(s), nonetheless being based around homogenous forms of “success” and (re)producing heteronormative discourse similar to that of publications targeting “straight” men and women. The aspirational image of “success” is therefore identified as consistent across all genders and sexualities, in different forms according to its audience. Although a market-driven identity has become increasingly significant, however, the publications under study have nonetheless placed equal significance on existing sexual and gendered hierarchies. Through observing how both consumerist and heteronormative discourse have been assimi- lated across varying “gay” lifestyle(s) in Britain over a twenty year period by coding the key themes of aspiration and “success” in the bestselling magazines targeting this audience, I am able to provide a pertinent contribution to both media studies and masculinity studies, as well as drawing attention to how neo-liberal discourse has affected a marginalised sexuality over the post-Thatcher period. Acknowledgements In putting this thesis forward, a notion that has frequently been considered laughable if not impossible at several stages, there are a number of people and institutions I feel are in need of thanks. Firstly, I would like to thank the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for providing me with sufficient funding to undertake much of the research outlined here, thus allowing the arguments made and trends identified in both the literature and primary and secondary coding to be accentuated. Equally, special thanks to Professor Dan Wincott for his help in securing research funding and consistently taking an interest in my work, and Dr Stephen Bates, who mentioned to me in 2006 that if not a Masters, then a PhD proposal was within my reach. Given that the original amoebic ideas grounding this thesis were proposed at a period in which Tony Blair agreed to stand down as Prime Minister at some soon-ish point, a tweet was made by a bird, Steve Irwin had died from a stingray and Top Gear’s Richard Hammond was in intensive care, that reach has seemed hard to grasp. Over some of the trickier earlier periods, I am very much indebted to the help and friendship of Dr Laurence Cooley, Dr Andrew Futter, Dr Mark McClelland and Dr Martin Monahan, who very much formed a ‘band of brothers’ during our Research Methods MA that I appreciated both the company and support of. On an intellectual, advisory and in loco parental level, as well as that of friendship, it is necessary to put on record the support of my supervisors, Dr Peter Kerr and Dr Emma Foster, who have put more faith in me over my abilities in my twenties than many people get in a lifetime. Although our meetings have often been fraught, long and challenging, with ‘a full and frank exchange of views’ being evident, it is no hyperbole to say that the thesis would not be written to a satisfactory standard without this critical but always constructive approach. I consider myself blessed in having supervisors who punctiliously read each word and give up their time to ensure I could be a more rounded, aware and stronger academic as a result, a stern watchfulness I have never taken for granted. Thank you for your time and your kindness; even when I left the office with four letter words escaping my lips and the virus of self-pity engulfing me, I always knew exactly what to do next. Until the final throes of the PhD forced me into taking the Howard Hughes route and camping out in my room, I was fortunate to work in a vibrant, encouraging and supportive office, with colleagues who ensured me the ability of whistling on the way to work, dropping off helpful papers, intriguing vonferences and research to pool, as well as opportunities to present my material. Special thanks are therefore necessary for Dr Linda Åhäll, Dr Basak Alpan, Dr Fran Amery, Dr Judi Atkins, Dr Liam Clegg, Dr Rachel Davies, Charlie Galpin, Dr Mark Goodwin, Dr Anthony Hopkins, Dr Caroline Kenny, Jiesheng Li, Cherry Miller, Dr David Norman, Dr Jonna Nyman, Dr Amin Samman, Dr Liam “Spanners” Stanley, Dr Ben Taylor, Gareth Wall and Shaf Zafeer, as well as the Support Staff Vikki Allen-Ahmed, Liz Bradley, Veta Douglas, Clareece Ebanks, Karen Goldbourne, Marc Levasseur and Suzi Ritchie-Kennedy. I also consider myself privileged to have kept the company of fellow academics whose insight and experiences provided me with plenty of food for thought and opportunities for calm rather than have to listen to narcissistic anecdotes. For this ‘punditry’ that I especially found myself reliant on when the deadlines seemed most impossible, I am grateful to Dr Ben Alderson-Day, Dr Jasmine Allen, Dr Kieran Connell, Dr Alice Eardley, Antonia “Gus” Grousdanidou, Dr David “Troll” McCann, Dr Chris Moores, Dr David “Sideys” Richardson, Elinor Rooks and Dr John Rooks for their patient assistance in the process of writing and submitting the PhD. Special thanks, inevitably, to Mum, Dad and Granddad for your insight. Thank you also to Vikki Anderson and Sue Green. When coding my secondary sources, the importance of gatekeepers was necessary to ensure I could accumulate respondents, a process that allowed my coding of the publications to be fuller and more reflective of “gay” identity at large. As a result Alice Booth, Ellie MacDowell, Mya “Guinea Bab” Munnelly and Rachel Sewell were integral to ensuring the research was both expansive and far-reaching, allowing me to reflect a broad demographic by recommending to me appropriate and interested respondents from a variety of backgrounds. Over the years of research, my living arrangements have been favourable, allowing me to live with Comrades, who provided support and encouragement even when many of them were making their own personal journeys. It was very nice to have the opportunity to watch an IWW picture, subject you to some Systems-and-aubergine-riddled concoction resembling ‘Dinner’ or bore you rigid by talking about what dream I had last night, as well as making a morning dose of coffee (or having it made depending what time I could be bothered to get up), our Breaking Bad sessions I look forward to resuming, being given free rein of sorts to swan around the house without undergarments, receiving a shot-in- the-arm motivational pat on the back and having the opportunity to hang out in your respective quarters at unsolicited periods, not to mention some of the best food I’ve tasted in my life being served up for dinner (the dhal/saag paneer combination has yet to be matched at any curry house).