New Sexism
Readers’ responses to the use of irony in men's magazines
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12658780 |
|---|---|
| Authors | B Benwell (0000-0003-4638-6888, University of Stirling, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 539-549 |
| Publication date | 2007-07-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journalism Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-670X • E-ISSN: 1469-9699 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14616700701411797 |
| OpenAlex | W2323596251 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 19 |
| References cited | 10 |
A common motif of “new” forms of masculinity in recent years has been the adoption of what have been termed “new sexism” discourses. This involves the legitimation of male power in new and creative ways, often by the strategic accommodation or negotiation of liberal, progressive or feminist discourses. This paper examines one particular “new sexism” device—irony. Irony is a versatile device in men's magazines which allows a speaker to articulate both anti-feminist sentiments as well as engage in discourses of femininity, whilst disclaiming responsibility for or ownership of both. This strategic use of irony in relation to the expression of sexist or homophobic views is a common device in the “new lad” magazines examined in this paper. Compounding the slipperiness of the ironic utterance is the acknowledgement that it may be read variously by different audiences. For this reason, my analysis attempts to move beyond the rather narrow textual focus normally favoured in language analysis, to consider the multiple, often contradictory responses produced by audiences. The paper examines firstly, the reading habits and dispositions of two groups of dedicated readers of men's magazines. Then the paper considers detailed responses to the texts under discussion and specifically the meaning of the ironic utterance. The lack of consensus elicited by such an exercise arguably problematises our initial reading of irony as a device of “new sexism”
Acknowledgement · Aesthetics · Art · Femininity · Irony · Legitimation · Linguistics · Masculinity · Motif (music · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Reading (process · Social science · Sociology · Utterance · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Gender Studies · Gender Studies in Language · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Law · Philosophy
Side-splitting masculinity
Embracing Diversity and Avoiding Acrash by Calling Spades, Progressing Syntaxes, and Affirming Actions
Digital alcohol marketing and gender
Between stands and margins
Sexism Re-Loaded … or Sexism Re-Presented
Minoritaires, mais pas invisibles
Enticing the New Lad
James Bond, Peter Pan, and A Sticky Night of Love
(Re)theorising laddish masculinities in higher education
Making sense of everyday sexism
Red Card to Violence Against Women”
How to be a fanboy
Women are from Venus and men play Oddset”
Neoliberalisation and 'Lad Cultures' in Higher Education
Pour It Up, Drink It Up, Live It Up, Give It Up
We Are So Pumped Full of Shit by the Media
Dangerous conversations
The gendering of alcohol in consumer magazines
Talking About Sexism
| Unique citing works | 19 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,06 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2026 (19) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 18 |