Negotiating the “Lavender Whiff”: Gay and Straight Masculinities in Men's
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Negotiating the “Lavender Whiff”: Gay and Straight Masculinities in Men’s Lifestyle Magazines, 1990-2010 by James Draper, Jr. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Communication) in the University of Michigan 2012 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Amanda D. Lotz, Chair Professor Susan J. Douglas Professor Anne C. Herrmann Assistant Professor Aswin Punathambekar © James Draper, Jr. 2012 In loving memory Tommy Draper 1980-2010 ii Acknowledgements Throughout the past few years it became a running joke among some of my friends how much Speed, a 1994 movie about a bus that will blow up if it dips below 50 miles per hour, marked my dissertation process. Since I cannot write in silence but am easily distracted when working in public spaces, I frequently wrote at home while that DVD played—looped two, even three times in a row—and have now seen it literally hundreds of times. Its three-act structure functioned perfectly as background noise, so familiar that I did not bother to pay close attention but fast paced enough that it seemed to help keep me alert and motivated. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, I often felt like Sandra Bullock’s character when sitting at my desk, trying to move the dissertation forward as quickly as possible even as my productivity occasionally seemed on the verge of slowing to the point of explosive failure. So I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the many people who—as the collective Keanu Reeves figure in this Speed-themed anecdote—helped me succeed with their advice, guidance, encouragement, and friendship. I could not have finished this project without them. First and foremost I thank my committee. I am particularly fortunate that Amanda Lotz agreed to be my adviser and chair as her unwavering investment in my progress and her prompt and incisive feedback were integral to the development of this dissertation. Amanda expressed interest and enthusiasm in my studies even before taking on the role of my adviser, and her knowledge, insight, and generosity guided me through the completion of this project as well as my graduate school experience as a whole. She inspired me to be more rigorous in my work, offered me opportunities to collaborate that pushed me to think about media studies in new ways, and instilled greater iii confidence in me that I can succeed as a scholar. I feel equipped for a career in academia largely thanks to her engagement with my research and writing, and it has been an honor to be her student. Susan Douglas believed in me all the way back to my undergraduate years as my honors thesis adviser, and her enthusiasm, detailed comments, and thoughts on transitioning the dissertation into a book have been enormously helpful. Aswin Punathambekar showed genuine interest in my academic progress since he came to Michigan and has always been willing to offer helpful suggestions regarding my research, the job market, and academia broadly. As the cognate member of my committee, Anne Herrmann had great ideas for new lines of inquiry as I move forward with my project, and I thank her for her willingness to engage so thoughtfully with my ideas. I would also like to thank other faculty in the Department of Communication Studies with whom I have worked in various capacities, including Robin Means Coleman, Paddy Scannell, Derek Vaillant, and Sean Jacobs. I have also greatly enjoyed talking with Megan Sapnar Ankerson and Shazia Iftkhar. All of these faculty members, along with those on my committee, have been gracious mentors and truly informed my approaches to research and teaching. I cannot thank them enough. Further, I am grateful to the patient and knowledgeable staff of Communication Studies, without whom I would have been entirely lost the past six years: Amy Eaton, Chris Gale, Cornelius Wright, Cheryl Erdmann, Jessica Brown, Orlandez Huddleston, and Hilary Conlisk. I also owe considerable thanks to Shevon Desai for helping me locate countless sources and archives, and for never mocking my incompetence in navigating the UM library system. I have met so many great graduate students in Communication Studies that I will always consider colleagues and friends. Katie Brown has been my grad-school confidant and helped keep me iv grounded and laughing (actually, JOL-ing) through coursework, prelims, the job market, and many evenings spent playing Mario. Megan Biddinger, Brad Jones, Emily Chivers Yochim, and Sarah Crymble helped me acclimate to grad school early on and I am lucky to count these smart, funny, and inspiring people among my friends today. My early years in the program were also more enjoyable thanks to Erica Denise Williams, Andrea McDonnell, and Catherine Mullalond and, more recently, I am happy to have found kindred Comm Studies spirits in Candice Haddad, Kitior Ngu, and Seyram Avle. Beyond my department, I am fortunate to know and to have the support of Hollis Griffin, Jamie Small, Afia Ofori-Mensa, Ron Becker, Candace Moore, Jennifer Solheim, Urmila Venkatesh, Kerry Dennehy and Maya Poran, Erin Smith, Emily Barbee, Ryan Murphy, Darci Dore, and Melissa Beck. I owe extra thanks to Kristen Hatfield, Betsy Bruner, Nicole Eiseler, Sara “TB” Eiseler, Nicola Curtin, Ritu Radhakrishnan, the inner circle of Mes Destin of Jomo Thorne, Wendy Sung, and Jina Kim, all of whom enriched my life in Ann Arbor in immeasurable ways throughout graduate school. I am undoubtedly a smarter and happier person because of these friends. I owe many thanks and a round of drinks at Old Town to my writing group, JJAM, which began in 2008 with Jamie Small, Megan Biddinger, and Afia Ofori-Mensa, and at times later included Rachel Afi Quinn, Sarah Gould, Wendy Sung, Jina Kim, and Sara Crider. The group was as fun as it was productive: its interdisciplinary nature forced me to constantly clarify and focus my arguments, and everyone’s camaraderie, humor, and feedback encouraged me to be more open to writing as a process and to not fear sharing my ideas before they are fully formed. I also thank the following units at the University of Michigan for funding support while I completed my doctoral degree requirements: Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies; the Institute for Research on Women and Gender; Gayle Morris Sweetland Center for Writing; and the Department v of Communication Studies. I thank my home department, in particular, for being relentless supporters and for always making me feel valued by the program. Finally, I thank my family. My parents have always been endlessly supportive, loving, and generous, and I have greatly enjoyed being able to visit home more frequently than when I lived in California. My brother, Tommy, unexpectedly passed away January 30, 2010, the month after I defended my prospectus. It took a great deal of time to find motivation to write again and he occupied my thoughts far more often than even this dissertation did throughout the nearly three years since. For me, my dissertation process was not marked most by Speed but rather by thoughts of my brother. I dedicate this to him. November 2012 vi Table of Contents Dedication............................................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................................iii List of Appendices...........................................................................................................................................viii Abstract ...............................................................................................................................................................ix Introduction Men’s Lifestyle Magazines and Gay/Straight Masculinities.......................................1 Chapter One “It’s Not Aimed at a Gay Audience”: Men’s Lifestyle Magazines and the Disavowal of Homosexuality, 1930s-1980s .................................................45 Chapter Two “We Don’t Have to Think About Sexual Identity”: From Explicit Exclusion to Implied Inclusion of Gay Men, 1990s-2000s......................................71 Chapter Three “I Know Which Stories Get Accepted and Which Stories Don’t”: Organizational Structure, Editorial Agency, and the Production of Masculinities ............................................................................................................ 106 Chapter Four “There’s Really No Better Way To Say ‘I’m So Gay’”: Managing Sexual Difference in Esquire and GQ........................................................................ 139 Chapter Five “Is Details Gay?”: Gay Men, Straight Masculinities, and the Construction of the Details Audience ....................................................................... 168 Conclusion Men’s Magazines and New (Media) Possibilities for Masculinities?.................... 203 Appendices...................................................................................................................................................... 211 Bibliography.................................................................................................................................................... 219 vii List of Appendices Appendix 1. Men’s Lifestyle Magazine Cover Statistics, 1990-2010 ........................................................................ 211 2. Research Participants ...............................................................................................................................