Gender and sexuality appear to be natural, pure aspects of who we are as human beings. History has shown that in reality, these characteristics are social constructs with strict regulations. Throughout the twentieth century, America experienced several changes and advancements in social and economic realms which gave way to the ability to stray from traditional expectations. Once rigid, gender roles began to break down as a result of many publications that sought to challenge them and offer alternatives. The launch of Playboy in 1953 played a huge role in reconstructing typical gender roles, as well as redefining American culture during the post-World War II era. Elizabeth Fraterrigo’s Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America
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Brad is the epitome of the playboy. A successful musical composer, Brad is a womanizing bachelor living in an upscale New York City apartment. He constantly charms women on the phone by serenading them with an “original” love song that he claims to have written just for each girl, but actually he just substitutes the name he sings to or the language he sings in. Brad fits the blueprint of the playboy …show more content…
In one scene, Brad begins to question Rex’s sexuality because he has yet to make any sexual advances at Jan. She is absolutely appalled when he suggests he might be the type to be especially close with his mother and have a taste for cookbooks. “Gay” is never explicitly mentioned, rather alluded to through homosexual stereotypes used to describe Rex. In the following scene, “Rex” shows an interest in Jan’s job as an interior designer, expressing how lovely it must be to work with so many colors and fabrics. He then goes on to enjoy an appetizer and allude to getting the recipe so he can make it for his mother back home. Jan immediately questions if they are just friends for fear he might be gay and the two end up sharing a kiss, proving Rex’s heterosexuality. Brad’s ability to manipulate Jan by instilling in her the idea that her suitor might be homosexual highlights the fear of homosexuality existing in society at this time. To not fit the guidelines of masculinity meant that one was not a real man. As the editor of Playboy, Ray Russell, put it, this new bachelor-centered society was “‘in favor of any kind of sexual liberation, as long as it was heterosexual liberation’” (Fraterrigo, 55). Men were allowed to be free from their duties as a breadwinner for the typical nuclear family, but still had to fit perfectly into the rigid prototype of the playboy. This
Brad is the epitome of the playboy. A successful musical composer, Brad is a womanizing bachelor living in an upscale New York City apartment. He constantly charms women on the phone by serenading them with an “original” love song that he claims to have written just for each girl, but actually he just substitutes the name he sings to or the language he sings in. Brad fits the blueprint of the playboy …show more content…
In one scene, Brad begins to question Rex’s sexuality because he has yet to make any sexual advances at Jan. She is absolutely appalled when he suggests he might be the type to be especially close with his mother and have a taste for cookbooks. “Gay” is never explicitly mentioned, rather alluded to through homosexual stereotypes used to describe Rex. In the following scene, “Rex” shows an interest in Jan’s job as an interior designer, expressing how lovely it must be to work with so many colors and fabrics. He then goes on to enjoy an appetizer and allude to getting the recipe so he can make it for his mother back home. Jan immediately questions if they are just friends for fear he might be gay and the two end up sharing a kiss, proving Rex’s heterosexuality. Brad’s ability to manipulate Jan by instilling in her the idea that her suitor might be homosexual highlights the fear of homosexuality existing in society at this time. To not fit the guidelines of masculinity meant that one was not a real man. As the editor of Playboy, Ray Russell, put it, this new bachelor-centered society was “‘in favor of any kind of sexual liberation, as long as it was heterosexual liberation’” (Fraterrigo, 55). Men were allowed to be free from their duties as a breadwinner for the typical nuclear family, but still had to fit perfectly into the rigid prototype of the playboy. This