emmanuel reynaud holy virility the social construction of masculinity

It seems that over the last few years, a new attitude towards
masculine aesthetics has developed. Some of the people in
charge are worried ― will it be possible to tell men from women,
is man becoming effeminate? So far it is not too serious; in the
sixties, young people simply refused to camouflage their
corporality under a white shirt or submit to the barber's razor―
a rejection of the clean-cut close shave. Masculine hair was
worn much longer, clothes became less drab and more
comfortable, and, to the rhythm of rock music, masculine
aesthetics took a step forward.
[Man and his body / 25]
From the Beatles, who caused a scandal for setting the trend for
'long' hair, to David Bowie and Lou Reed who went in for
transvestism, including Mick Jagger and the Californian rock
groups at the end of the sixties, man's image has undergone
some changes. But in spite of appearances (and not forgetting
the backlash that has taken place since ― macho fashion: tie,
cropped hair, black leather, pointed boots etc.) virility has
remained intact. To the classic insult 'With your long hair you
look like a woman', the answer was, for example, very rarely
'That's true. It's good ―why don't you try it?' but rather 'That
doesn't mean anything, I'm still a man, I am, mate.' And, if the
balance of power and the tension were sufficient, this
altercation could easily end in a fight. Moreover, to avoid any
ambiguity or error, long hair was quickly accompanied by
irrefutable proof or virility: sideburns, beard or moustache
―clear emblems― and often heavy boots, leather jacket and a
mean expression were added for good measure.
Similarly, the beauty industry, sensing the change, began a
long-term offensive aimed at men. Since their favourite field,
woman's body, was almost totally colonised― from the most
'intimate' parts to the most 'feminine' days― they could only
maintain their expansion rate by using imagination and
extending their market to include products for men. From the
beginning, it was a matter of not being too ambitious, and
gradually easing men on from shaving products towards
deodorants and perfumes. The principal line of attack was first
of all to rid perfume of its exclusively feminine character so that
it could become a new attribute of virility. Not a simple task, and
the advertisers used kid gloves to put over the message―'Don't
worry, if you wear perfume, you won't become sensual and
desirable but sporty and elegant, virile and refined. You will
smell clean and tough, you won't become a woman; on the
contrary, you'll be even more of a man.' Everything has been
used, from the most virile-sounding names― Brut, Victor,
Mandate to the most varied male images― from Don Juan to
Henry Cooper. With slogans like 'the great smell of Brut', the
path has been cleared, man has picked up the scent.
[26 / Holy virility]
Over the last few years stylishness has become a new facet of
virility, which now tends to adopt the more flexibe name of