FOR STATING THE OBVIOUS, a reÂcent study by two British uniÂverÂsiÂties anÂaÂlyzing imÂages posted on TubeÂCrush over a peÂriod of three years is tough to top. TubeÂCrush is a webÂsite where people post picÂtures of men (âeye candyâ) taken surÂrepÂtiÂtiously on the London UnÂderÂground railway system. The reÂsearchers came to this asÂtounding conÂcluÂsion: âMusÂcles and money are qualÂiÂties that straight women and gay men typÂiÂcally find atÂtracÂtive in men!â 1
The study was done by Coventry and AberysÂtÂwyth uniÂverÂsiÂties and was pubÂlished as part of the FemÂiÂnist Media Studies on the Taylor & Francis OnÂline webÂsite with the post-modernly title, âHeâs a total TubeÂCrush: post-feminist senÂsiÂbility as inÂtiÂmate publics.â 2
The teaser for the abÂstract on the Taylor & Francis webÂsite is a hoot:
âIn this paper, we anÂaÂlyze the webÂsite TubeÂCrush, where people post and share unÂsoÂlicited phoÂtographs of âguy candyâ seen on the London UnÂderÂground. We use TubeÂCrush as a case study to deÂvelop Berlantâs inÂtiÂmate publics as a lens for exÂamÂining post-feminist senÂsiÂbility and masÂculinity in the limÂinal space beÂtween home/work.
âValue is diÂrected onto the bodies of men creÂating a viÂsual economy of masÂculinity of whiteÂness, physÂical strength, and ecoÂnomic wealth.â
The paper reÂsponds to noÂtions of reÂverse sexism and post-sexism used to make sense of womenâs apÂparent obÂjecÂtiÂfiÂcaÂtion of men in the digÂital space, by asking inÂstead where the value of such imÂages lies.
We sugÂgest that in TubeÂCrush, value is diÂrected onto the bodies of parÂticÂular men, creÂating a viÂsual economy of post-feminist masÂculinity of whiteÂness, physÂical strength, and ecoÂnomic wealth. This celÂeÂbraÂtion of masÂcuÂline capÂital is achieved through humor and the knowing wink, but the outÂcome is a reafÂfirÂmaÂtion of urban hegeÂmonic masÂculinity.â 3
The reÂsearch by acaÂdÂeÂmics from Coventry and AberysÂtÂwyth UniÂverÂsity said that many photos parÂticÂuÂlarly emÂphaÂsized menâs musÂcular biÂceps, pecs, and chestâthe body parts which sugÂgest physÂical strength. 4
Chicks like eye candy, too!
This academic-oriented paper found its way into the popÂular media where I found it on the Newsweek webÂsite with the enÂgagÂingly conÂdeÂscending title, âMen With MusÂcles and Money Are More AtÂtracÂtive to Straight Women and Gay MenâShowing Gender Roles Arenât ProÂgressing.â
âThe photos and comÂments foÂcused on the menâs biÂceps, pecs and chest as well as perÂceived sexual ability. Items that inÂdiÂcated wealth such as smart suits, watches and phones were emphasized.
PicÂtures showing other repÂreÂsenÂtaÂtions of masÂculinity, such as faÂtherÂhood, and more emoÂtional and awkward-appearing men were far less frequent.â
Writer Sydney Pereirab noted that the posted photos of âguy candyâ tended to be mostly white men, âdeÂspite London being a mulÂtiÂculÂtural city.â From this, Ms Pereira drew the conÂcluÂsion that âwhite, male privÂiÂlege is still an atÂtracÂtive quality.â
I will bite my virÂtual tongue here and not reÂspond with an ironÂical, âDuh.â And desÂpite reading like satire, I couldnât find any inÂdiÂcaÂtion on the Newsweek site that it was anyÂthing but seÂrious (sic) journalism.
The reÂsearch by acaÂdÂeÂmics from Coventry and AberysÂtÂwyth UniÂverÂsity said that âwhite male privÂiÂlege is still an atÂtracÂtive quality in men for many straight women and gay men.â
Toned gym-goers flashing flesh
In an arÂticle tiÂtled âMusÂcles and moneyâ on the Coventry Universityâs webÂsite, lead reÂsearcher AdriÂenne Evans, from Centre for PostÂdigÂital CulÂtures, said:
âFrom smart-suited City workers to toned gym-goers flashing their flesh, the men feaÂtured in the phoÂtographs on TubeÂCrush show that as a culÂture we still celÂeÂbrate masÂculinity in the form of money and muscle.
They are marking the middle-class, wealthy, moÂbile and sexÂuÂally powÂerful male body, not as a poÂlitÂical one as femÂiÂnists inÂtend it to be, but one that should be acÂtively desired.
This celÂeÂbraÂtion of masÂcuÂline capÂital is achieved through huÂmour and the knowing wink, but the outÂcome is a reafÂfirÂmaÂtion of menâs poÂsiÂtion in soÂciety. Itâs a problem as beÂcause alÂthough it apÂpears as though we have moved forÂward, our deÂsires are still mostly about money and strength.â
Again, I bite my virÂtual tongue here and not type an ironÂical, âDuh.â Again, desÂpite reading like satire, I couldnât find any inÂdiÂcaÂtion on the Coventry UniÂverÂsity site that it was anyÂthing but seÂrious research.
This photo is apÂparÂently a rather exÂtreme piece of an eye-candy man, as most of the TubeÂCrush photos I found on the InÂternet showed men wearing some sort of top. AdÂmitÂting Iâm now a seÂnior citÂizen out of touch with whatâs hot these days with younger gals, this photo reÂminds me of the hoÂmoÂerotic, fetishisÂtiÂcally beefÂcake drawÂings of the legÂendary Tom of FinÂland.
Alternatives to TubeCrush
ExÂactly why should a âsexÂuÂally powÂerful male bodyâ not be acÂtively deÂsired by women? What does it matter? HunÂdreds of milÂlions of non-wealthy, non-white men with sexÂuÂally inÂdifÂferent bodies (i.e., ânormal joesâ) love and are loved by hunÂdreds of milÂlions of womenâsome of whom are knockÂouts, some of whom are ugly as sin, most of whom are also normal.
But reÂsearch is as reÂsearch does and I eaÂgerly await the follow-up arÂticle: âWomen with Big Breasts and Long Legs Are More AtÂtracÂtive to Straight Men and Gay WomenâReaffirming Gender Roles Arenât Progressing.â
FiÂnally, letâs look again at the line I pulled out and highÂlighted as a pull-quote in the first secÂtion above: âWe sugÂgest that in TubeÂCrush, value is diÂrected onto the bodies of parÂticÂular men, creÂating a viÂsual economy of post-feminist masÂculinity of whiteÂness, physÂical strength, and ecoÂnomic wealth.â
Okay? The name of the webÂsite is TubeCrush.
Thatâs C-R-U-S-H.
Itâs about sexual fanÂtasies, and for most human beÂings, such fanÂtasies inÂvolve partÂners weâre never going to have.
ExÂactly why should a âsexÂuÂally powÂerful male bodyâ not be acÂtively deÂsired by women?
For exÂample, I have used my crushes on Nicole Kidman and Marisa Tomei as the subÂject of sevÂeral (hopeÂfully huÂmorous) esÂsays here. While I may think that both of these beauÂtiful, deÂsirÂable, sucÂcessful, wealthy women would benÂefit greatly by knowing me better, I am aware of the fact that I should not be holding my breath waiting for their calls.
That awareÂness does not stop my fantasizing.
PerÂhaps EngÂland needs a few alÂterÂnaÂtives to TubeÂCrush, and I have a few suggestions:
TubeÂDads
SurÂrepÂtiÂtious photos of loving faÂthers changing their inÂfantâs diÂaÂpers on the tube beÂcause baby couldnât wait for the next stop.
TubeGeeks
SurÂrepÂtiÂtious photos of awkward-appearing men, with an emÂphasis on tall, skinny, asexual guys wearing Green Lantern or Flash tee-shirts on their way to the comic book store.
TubeGeezers
SurÂrepÂtiÂtious photos of old farts like me trying to surÂrepÂtiÂtiously stare at young women with big breasts and long legs . . .
FEATURED IMAGE: Much more faÂmous in his time than Tom of FinÂland and perÂhaps equally inÂfluÂenÂtial were the drawÂings of Bill Ward, who conÂtributed countÂless drawÂings of alÂmost non-humanly statÂuesque women to comic books and menâs magÂaÂzines from the 1940s into the â80s!
FOOTNOTES:
1 This team probÂably could also unÂcover such arÂcane facts as Earth is round (more or less), the Houston AsÂtros won the 2017 World SeÂries, Elvis is dead, and there is a vast rightwing conÂspiracy taking conÂtrol of the AmerÂican govÂernÂment, court system, and poÂlice departments.
2 âInÂtiÂmate publicsâ? Yes, there are people out there reÂferÂring to a plural public.
3 To unÂderÂstand the 135 words in the three paraÂgraphs above, one has to have the following:
⢠knowlÂedge of Lauren Berlantâs inÂtiÂmate publics;
⢠the apÂparent death of femÂiÂnism and that we are in a post-feminist era and that there is a âpost-feminist senÂsiÂbilityâ and a âpost-feminist masculinityâ;
⢠know what limÂinal means (âof, reÂlating to, or sitÂuÂated at a senÂsory threshold : barely perÂcepÂtible or caÂpable of elicÂiting a responseâ);
⢠know that, apÂparÂently, there are edÂuÂcated people in the world who didnât know beÂfore reading the Coventry and AberysÂtÂwyth paper that women have been obÂjecÂtiÂfying men ever since the world began and that many, many women find strong, wealthy, white men physÂiÂcally atÂtracÂtive; and
⢠know what âdigÂital spaceâ is outÂside of a comÂputer. (Did I miss anything?)
4 The workÂouts reÂquired for those well-developed body parts may also conÂnote an inÂdiÂvidÂuÂalâs conÂcern for his well-being and genÂeral health and may also signal his self-confidenceâall traits that both sexes should find attractive.