Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity
In 1987, Eddie Murphy performed a comic sketch about white men dancing that would inform future movers and makers of white male dancing in American popular culture, helping to create a trope mocking white men for their inability to dance, most often referred to as the “white man dance.” At that time...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Ohio State University Libraries
2018-06-01
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| Series: | The International Journal of Screendance |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://screendancejournal.org/article/view/6040 |
| _version_ | 1818139020329222144 |
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| author | Addie Tsai |
| author_facet | Addie Tsai |
| author_sort | Addie Tsai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 1987, Eddie Murphy performed a comic sketch about white men dancing that would inform future movers and makers of white male dancing in American popular culture, helping to create a trope mocking white men for their inability to dance, most often referred to as the “white man dance.” At that time, Saturday Night Live, with the help of its host Patrick Swayze, fresh off the popularity of his work in sleeper hit Dirty Dancing, contributed to the trope itself with a sketch comparing the hypermuscular physique of Swayze vs. the flabby physique of comedian Chris Farley. Almost thirty years later, American popular culture would see a return to a renewed interest in the dance film with the stripper film Magic Mike. This article argues that although Magic Mike, like Dirty Dancing, relies on the makeover trope as its narrative and thematic engine, Magic Mike revises the popular dance film format to instead focus on the relationship between two men, Mike and Adam, rather than on a heterosexual partnering. Magic Mike’s focus on this male-to-male relationship inevitably comments on the exchange between heteronormative masculinity and compulsory heterosexuality and their assumed whiteness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:21:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c376680096444699877186ae340a5be |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2154-6878 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:21:27Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | The Ohio State University Libraries |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The International Journal of Screendance |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c376680096444699877186ae340a5be2022-12-22T01:11:23ZengThe Ohio State University LibrariesThe International Journal of Screendance2154-68782018-06-019010.18061/ijsd.v9i0.60404023Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of HeteromasculinityAddie TsaiIn 1987, Eddie Murphy performed a comic sketch about white men dancing that would inform future movers and makers of white male dancing in American popular culture, helping to create a trope mocking white men for their inability to dance, most often referred to as the “white man dance.” At that time, Saturday Night Live, with the help of its host Patrick Swayze, fresh off the popularity of his work in sleeper hit Dirty Dancing, contributed to the trope itself with a sketch comparing the hypermuscular physique of Swayze vs. the flabby physique of comedian Chris Farley. Almost thirty years later, American popular culture would see a return to a renewed interest in the dance film with the stripper film Magic Mike. This article argues that although Magic Mike, like Dirty Dancing, relies on the makeover trope as its narrative and thematic engine, Magic Mike revises the popular dance film format to instead focus on the relationship between two men, Mike and Adam, rather than on a heterosexual partnering. Magic Mike’s focus on this male-to-male relationship inevitably comments on the exchange between heteronormative masculinity and compulsory heterosexuality and their assumed whiteness.http://screendancejournal.org/article/view/6040Patrick SwayzebeefcakeRichard DyerWhite Man DancemasculinityAIDSscreendancefilmSaturday Night LiveChris FarleyChanning TatumMagic MikeChippendales |
| spellingShingle | Addie Tsai Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity The International Journal of Screendance Patrick Swayze beefcake Richard Dyer White Man Dance masculinity AIDS screendance film Saturday Night Live Chris Farley Channing Tatum Magic Mike Chippendales |
| title | Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity |
| title_full | Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity |
| title_fullStr | Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity |
| title_short | Magic Mike, Dirty Dancing, and the (Empty) Promise of Heteromasculinity |
| title_sort | magic mike dirty dancing and the empty promise of heteromasculinity |
| topic | Patrick Swayze beefcake Richard Dyer White Man Dance masculinity AIDS screendance film Saturday Night Live Chris Farley Channing Tatum Magic Mike Chippendales |
| url | http://screendancejournal.org/article/view/6040 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT addietsai magicmikedirtydancingandtheemptypromiseofheteromasculinity |