Understanding modern masculinity – the new narratives shaping male identity and behaviour
A new research report from 72andSunny and CrowdDNA’s New Narratives series identifies the cultural shifts in how men think, behave and identify in today’s world, and how brands can best engage with them. Alex Houghton, strategy lead at 72andSunny, explains…
New Narratives: Mapping Modern Masculinity explores the shifts in culture around masculinity in Australia. Our methodology included qualitative interviews with members of our panel of cultural influencers, culture makers and cultural experts to understand the latest trends; combined with social listening to provide a quantitative gauge of these trends’ relative size and impact, from emerging to mainstream.
The research enabled us to map the new narratives shaping how modern men behave and express themselves. Three stood out as being of particular importance to marketers wanting to engage male audiences in 2024.
Re-kindling masculinity
This narrative isn’t about returning to unhealthy old school habits. It’s about keeping the good stuff, while chucking out the bad. It sees men rejecting the outmoded sexism, disrespect and aggression of previous generations – while still celebrating timeless positive attributes like mateship, honesty and authenticity, to promote a newly open and empathetic form of masculinity.
Australia’s iconic ‘Solo Man’ is a perfect example of this narrative. His recent marketing makeover sees him still being a ‘manly man’, while simultaneously poking fun at the old tropes of stereotypical hyper-masculine advertising.
Re-thinking masculinity
This narrative incorporates traditionally feminine traits and concepts, to create a looser and far more inclusive definition of masculinity. This includes being more emotional, vulnerable, and intuitive. This addition of a ‘softer’ depth and dimension to masculinity pushes at the boundaries of traditional gender norms.
This narrative is highly relevant to marketers of body care products. Tom Ford’s groundbreaking move into men’s make-up ushered in a new acceptance of men wearing what were once women-only items. The huge popularity of Troye Sivan and an army of immaculately made-up male K-pop stars shows how this narrative has been embraced by large sections of society.
Re-inventing masculinity
This is the most progressive of the new narratives. This dares to confront society’s binary definitions of masculinity and femininity, and embraces gender fluidity. Here, men unashamedly seize the individual freedom denied to previous generations, to be as unique and true to themselves as they want.
Yet ASAP Rocky wearing skirts and holding the baby while his partner Rihanna poses for Vogue – while still being a hero to uber-cool audiences everywhere, plus an ambassador for Mercedes – shows that progressive doesn’t mean transgressive.
This spectrum of male identity and behaviour illustrates the range of opportunities open to marketers in 2024 to engage with modern men.
Contact alex.houghton@72andsunny.com to receive a copy of the report.
39 Comments
shout out Tatey
Is absolutely out of control.
I cannot wait for the pushback against this nonsense.
The disconnect between Hollywood, vindictive fourth-wave feminists and the advertising bubble who think they are shaping modern men by browbeating them into being feminine and what is really happening (a colossal shift of young men who see through this BS and are moving to the right of the political spectrum) is hilarious.
Remember kids, there’s no such thing as toxic masculinity, just toxic people.
“This narrative incorporates traditionally feminine traits and concepts, to create a looser and far more inclusive definition of masculinity. This includes being more emotional, vulnerable, and intuitive. This addition of a ‘softer’ depth and dimension to masculinity pushes at the boundaries of traditional gender norms.”
I’m good thanks.
Which part of this do you disagree with? Letting masculinity be more inclusive, or being vulnerable? Seems like fairly conservative suggestions to me, so genuinely interested in why you wouldn’t consider it.
~ The one constant throughout history is Men will always need to do better, just ask anyone who isn’t a man ~
Remember that old Levi’s ad, when the world zigs, zag? That’s why I find this sort of ‘research’ so conformist and unoriginal and, hence, a most likely a dead end for anyone genuinely trying to innovate. Sorry.
Agree. It’s also probably time men took control of their own narrative, possibly via a male brand. Scary what ‘masculinity’ means for boys these days, you’re either a violent offender or a simp, chivalry has had it’s arse beaten to a pulp and anyone trying to be decent, reasonable and normal is howled down by every other gender imaginable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_woke,_go_broke
You accidentally spelt ‘loser’ with two ‘o’s.
Would love a copy of this report… will email. Ta.
As a strategist this is the kind of stuff that makes me want to curl up
Any research from within the white and very entitled circles of advertising is probably better left at the private school old boys reunion.
I think any brand that seeks to engage with men according to these “findings” is invariably going to lose a lot of money.
Because you can’t quite engage male audiences anymore. It doesn’t matter if you try using old masculinity tropes, or these very artificial new constructs which in fact aren’t really new at all.
No matter what, if men no longer see themselves as a meaningful collective, you’re not going to stand a chance trying to influence them with these collective/gendered approaches.
That time is over. Welcome to atomization.
Every year the same push to ‘convince’ men to become shallow consumers of cosmetics, four seasons of fashion, and build two large closets of high cost clothes.
So the cosmetics, advertising, clothing, plastic surgery and media can make more money.
Me thinks they succeeded in getting larger women to spend more on fashion, they think they can do the same with men.
I hope they don’t do their social listening on 4chan.
Feels yuck and weird when this kind of impossible standard is forced on you right? Now imagine how women feel to have this sh*t shoved down their throats from birth by the patriarchy. I know I’d pick the bear over the man in the woods any day…
Justifying abuse because it happened to you is the worst kind of abuse, particularly because you know how it felt. No reasonably man alive was part of the patriarchy you speak of. End it.
This is why the planning dept is ridiculed. Men’s make-up, skirts and gender fluidity are embraced by a miniscule percentage of males. The rest are over being brow beaten by the woke left to be feminine, and embracing all the things that make us male. Just without the disrepect and misogny of the previous generation.
…with a cup of builders’, 3 sugars. Then down the dogs for a flutter and a punch-on. Am I fashionable yet?
Well that went well.
Aaaaand all the boy babies in the comments here are yet more proof we have a problem in this industry
The sheer volume of fragile men losing their minds in the comments section here is genuinely depressing, said as a white dude in my 40’s
That made me laugh.
Lol. And there it is. Wouldn’t be a CB comment section without some hyper-indoctrinated white-collar wokie telling everyone their views are invalid.
I remember reading these same conclusions in the early nineties.
It was from a report about ‘new’ men from the early seventies.
Amazing how many people still fall for this crap.
Men have always been nurturing, sensitive, intuitive, imaginative and kind. The so called ‘feminine traits’ are nothing more than a hostile take-over of moral high ground by feminist ideology. Feminists have convinced the community that male traits are all negative, violent and oppressive, while female traits are all sensitive, wholesome nice.
Remember, some of the most romantic, sensitive beautiful art and literature, has been written by men, inspired by the experiences of men and reflect the male ethos. Do not be tricked into adopting the SCUM manifesto approach to understanding masculinity.
Yet we are seeing ever more women being the tragic victims of domestic violence. That is a far more pertinent reality of the modern male – not this nonsense. Perhaps that truth, though, doesn’t help sell more cars or clothes.
The bulk of the comments section is so palpably fragile. Albeit it must be a scary place for all the entitled boys of Ad-land who can no longer pull the strings on being absolutely mid. Hope you’re ok.
Stop haunting us, ghost.
No.
Judging by the comments, this article should have come with a trigger warning for all the stale, pale, male ad men out there…
I once had a client who thought it was hilarious to roll out the “pale, male and stale” jibe at any given opportunity, especially in front of people who happened to be born male and European.
It was neither funny nor constructive.
No-one is denying that there are sections of the community that fit the mold this ‘research’ is pointing to. Further, I don’t think anyone is seeking to criticise those that fit the stereotypes that are being put forward here. The issue is that adland-types seem to think that these stereotypes are far more reflective of the broader community than they really are. I think they are niches that are far more common in adland and the places adland folk hang out than the wider community. Indeed, rightly or wrongly, I think they are viewed with varying degrees of derision and contempt by a great many punters – both men and women. Therefore, seeking to hitch a brand’s wagon to these ideas is fraught. Remember, you are not talking to yourselves when it comes to advertising.
I can’t believe how many triggered, fragile men we have in this industry. The second you bring up ‘radical feminism has gone too far’ you reveal your true gripe. This is a showing a shift in masculinity, it isn’t the only type of masculinity to conform to. As communications practitioners, we need to be aware of the shifting sands in how people are viewing themselves. You may not like it, but it’s not being forced down your throat. We have young blokes in the inner city wearing stubbies and shunning craft beer… you have young blokes in the outer burbs giving more of a shit about grooming and their appearance. I think the real issue you all have is that the world is moving on… and you’re not. Pathetic
Masculinity has always dabbled in femininity. It’s like everyone forgot that the band Poison happened.
Relax. You get to keep your nuts.
Poison… you know their whole schtick was about being womanisers right?
‘Fragile’, ‘pathetic’, ‘triggered’, ‘stale & pale’.
It’s interesting how the progressives in this thread simply throw labels at those voicing concerns rather than engaging their points in any meaningful way.
The same thing happened with The Voice debate.
Has anyone else noticed that most of the “experts” on men and masculinity are women?