Dancing beneath the surface: Men, masculinity and expressions of the feminine

The masculine gender identity in western United States culture is constructed in opposition to femininity, and is maintained through the culture modes of discipline and surveillance. However, instances of male femininity challenge these rigid constructs of gender, and suggest that gender is in fact a performance reflecting cultural norms as opposed to an internal core of identity. Instances of male femininity can be located in heterosexual male cross-dressing activities, ranging from the recent phenomena of "metrosexuality" to heterosexual men completely dressing as women. While frequently presenting some problematic conceptions of gender, these behaviors also provide instances of subversive breaks in gendered performance, and illustrate the possibility for a non-oppositional heterosexuality. Additionally, the films Billy Elliot and Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake provide popular culture examples illustrating the ways in which men struggle with masculinity, and the complexities of addressing moments of femininity in individual male subjectivity and identity.