Man-of-action heroes
Subtitle: how the American ideology of manhood structures men's consumption
By: Douglas B. Holt, Craig J. Thompson
Contributors: Thompson, Craig J.; Harvard Business School. Division of Research
Series: Working paper / Division of Research, Harvard Business School -- 03-102; Working paper (Harvard Business School. Division of Research) -- 03-102
Publisher: Division of Research, Harvard Business School
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Boston]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 67
Description: The compensatory consumption thesis states that men who experience anxieties in living up to American ideals of manhood in their everyday lives as workers and husbands use consumption as a means to escape these pressures. Masculine consumption, in this view, is a form of rebellion against society's expectations. This thesis of compensatory rebellious consumption has become conventional wisdom in the men's studies literature as a well as in popular culture. We question the basic premises of the thesis by asking: What masculine ideals do men strive for? And how do they use consumption to forge identifications with these ideals?
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.