09/2011 - Profound power of archetypal imagery in a contemporary heterogeneous urban society

Les Noeuds de Janus di Jean-Michel Othoniel

In spite of decades of progress in the promotion of socio-economic equality, anti-racist education and gender equity in many western industrial countries, I continue to be impressed by the enduring power of classical western masculine imagery and the privileged status that it confers on its “adherents”. I use that word because it best describes the deliberate manner in which I construct my public image.
Whether I am a passive victim of crass commercialism or an active perpetrator of an image campaign, the consequence of which, at least intellectually, I am may even believe to be repugnant, I am nonetheless an active and ever willing player.
This seeming paradox – an obsession with cultivating its outward trappings, i.e. exaggeration of stature and physical build through body-building, beard growth and other trappings which clearly accentuate secondary sexual characteristics associated with Caucasian men – not only have me in its tow, but more and more are celebrated in popular culture imagery- one only needs to consider the powerful hyper-masculine men in films such as 300.
Over the years as I have meticulously moulded, what I initially convinced myself is merely a “look”, has in turn increasingly afforded me a favourable advantage. In other words, not only am I privileged due to my ethnicity, gender and maturity (I am 44 years old), I am also more often than not granted respect and granted distance due to my stature and aggressive power of my sexuality as expressed by my beard and, curiously enough, bald head. After all, imagery strongly evokes primitive emotion and passion.
Regardless of my personal political orientation and devotion to social justice (the goals of which are, in part intended to empower everyone and not perpetuate the socio-political centrality of the alpha-male), I believe I am, more often than not, greeted with deference in a manner that women and ethnic minorities or those marginalised due to economic disadvantage do not enjoy. In situations and settings as diverse as my career as secondary school history teacher to user of public transport, the power of a classically “masculine” appearance has given me access, power and status to negotiate my way through .

(Courtesy by B. W. McClymont)