Commodifying the Male Body, Problematizing “Hegemonic Masculinity?”

This article offers a critique of the hegemonic masculinity thesis, initially from ethnomethodology and psychology. It then proposes an approach that combines the idea of “categorials” from the work of Harvey Sacks with a new political economy of looking. The article examines the situation of gay athletes in the context of the commodification of male beauty and the spread of ocularity onto men. A case study is made of Ian Roberts, footballer and gay icon.