What is Masculinity?

W H A T I S MASCULINITY?

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GQ is a men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine owned by Condé Nast. The publication originated in 1931 under the name of Apparel Arts and was intended to give selling advice to retailers and wholesalers of men’s fashion and accessories. It quickly transitioned into a public men’s fashion magazine named Esquire, in 1933. Fast forward about 25 years, Esquire then split off into a quarterly magazine under the name of Gentleman’s Quarterly. This magazine was then sold to Condé Nast in 1983 and shortened to the name of GQ.

W H A T I S MASCULINITY?

Since the original launch of GQ in 1983, it has been a symbol of style, sophistication, and culture for men around the world. The publication has showcased some of the most influential athletes, actors, musicians, and politicians of the times on its’ covers and inside spreads. These cover men ooze style, sophistication, success, and masculinity. GQ sells this image of what it means to be masculine and powerful, however, how have these two things been defined through the magazine? What brings these cover men the titles of “power and masculinity”? Is it their money? Their luxurious lifestyles? Their fashion sense? Their worldly fame and success?

The word masculinity has been used for ages to define things that are described in parallel to men. However, what does masculinity actually mean today? Our culture today has been trying to deconstruct the definitions of masculinity and what it means to the individual, rather than as an overall term. The deconstruction of masculinity has been a trending topic of conversation within society within recent years, and has grown into a societal movement that is gender fluidity and inclusivity. We have seen various societal changes in fashion, gender norms, and lifestyle that are actively dissecting these traditional meanings of masculinity, as well as femininity, to create a more diverse environment.