A few days ago we were discussing masculinity and wrestling. I used to watch wrestling and was a huge WCW fan and still to this day watch it occasionally. It was just great entertainment fake or not. I was probably around 8-10 years of age when I was really into it and myself and my brother used to imitate all the moves and everything but the whole masculinity thing I am not sure I even noticed it. I have heard as wrestling referred to as a male soap opera and I agree it really is and that is why I watched, to see all the plot twists and who would turn on whom. Calling someone out based on there man hood was part of the plot and made it entertaining. Like I said maybe I was too young to notice or maybe it did affect me and I just did not notice. Either way it is a valid point and now that I think about it is a big part of wrestling, but it is the entertainment aspect and I think most fans know it is fake but still watch and the kids watching now in time will figure out it is fake and that calling someone out is just part of the male soap opera we call wrestling.
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ReplyDeleteI used to watch wrestling (more so the WWF, though) as a youngster, too. I used to buy the action figures and the miniature ring as well. Like you, I enjoyed the plot each night to see what would happen next.
ReplyDeleteI knew the male wrestlers represented themselves as the epitome of masculinity, but I never paid much attention to it. However, as you said, it is/was definitely present and even expected. "Male soap opera" is a great way to define professional wrestling, I agree.
I used to be a big fan of the WWF. I read other posts discussing how they would imitate the moves of their favorite wrestlers. I used to do the same. I think everyone who was an avid wrestling fan got sucked in to what the professional wrestling industry was selling. This shows how much the media played a significant role in or lives as kids and as adults.
ReplyDeleteBrandon,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. When I was young I was also a big wrestling fan and would sometimes imitate moves and joke around with my friends. We would always watch it on t.v. and order the pay per views. I eventually realized what I was watching was fake but I still loved the entertainment. I think that we realize that wrestlers calling each other out and questioning peoples manhood is all apart of the soap opera we call the WWE.
What did you think of the video that we watched in class? Did it seem more extreme than you remembered it? What about the way that women were treated in the video? Was that something that you did not notice or do you think it has gotten worse?
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