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Journalism of Courage
The celebrity and media presence at the Mr International contest in the Capital has added an altogether different dimension to the phrase gender equality. Yes, as the man from Venezuela that traditional provider of beauty queens and now, well, kings with its eclectic genetic mix 8212; flew off with the crown by earnestly affirming that, indeed, it is a man8217;s world, it seemed only fair. If gorgeous women, sashaying smilingly and mouthing politically correct gems, can become role models feted by heads of state, why can8217;t men enjoy the same career options? If Donald Trump can revamp the Miss Universe extravaganza and if Eric and Julia Morley8217;s Miss World show can enjoy a second coming in their homeland, why can8217;t beefy hunks be accorded the same measure of wide-eyed incredulity and, more importantly, the same indulgence from corporate sponsors? If little girls in countless Indian neighbourhoods can graduate from playing with their Barbies to impersonating the Sushmitas and the Aishwaryas in local contests, whycan8217;t their male counterparts too take a break from tennis-ball cricket and flex their muscles?
But seriously. Perhaps viewing male shows as a levelling of the playing field in the booming beauty industry would be a trifle simplistic. As a new socio-cultural grouping takes shape 8212; an urban herd spread across upmarket islands in increasingly wired metropolises across the globe, a herd which is subjected to common and instantly messaged fashion whims 8212; a thesis offered by a controversial new book merits recounting. In Stiffed, Susan Faludi details the current shift towards an quot;ornamental culture,quot; resulting in quot;a society drained of context, saturated with a competitive individualism that has been robbed of craft or utility, and ruled by commercial values that revolve around who has the most, the best, the biggest, the fastest.quot; This ornamental culture, with its consumerist excess and attendant entertainment industry, propels men towards quot;the conformism, passivity and consumerist mirror-gazing traditionallyheld to be femininequot;. Faludi argues that the additional male self-doubt resulting from the passage of the comforting affirmations of masculinity conferred by being the sole breadwinner, has led to a redefinition of manhood as something to be displayed in toned designer muscles, in transiently fashionable accessories. Male vanity, it would thus seem, is symptomatic of a crisis of masculinity, a crisis of self-esteem. It8217;s a place women have inhabited for so long that it8217;s become a way of life for them, what upheavals will male adjustment entail?
