MASCULINITY AND SEXUAL PLURALISM: THE EVOLUTION OF GENDERED PRACTICES AND THE AFFIRMATION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS IN THE ROMANIAN PUBLIC SPACE
MASCULINITY AND SEXUAL PLURALISM: THE EVOLUTION OF GENDERED PRACTICES AND THE AFFIRMATION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS IN THE ROMANIAN PUBLIC SPACE

Summary/Abstract: This study explores the emergence of new cultural models of masculinity in the context of the freedom of expression and consumer society in post-Decemberist Romania. The decriminalization of homosexuality facilitated the expression of both gay and heterosexual identities in the public space. Simultaneously, the development of consumer society, aligned with the European consumer market, contributed to the emergence and expression of new representations and forms of masculinity, distinct from those of the communist period, which were hegemonic due to the limits of expression imposed by the regime. The study examines how these masculine patterns began to be expressed in both small towns and large cities, amidst rising affluence and the proliferation of consumer goods that enabled the cultural instrumentalization of masculinity through new gendered practices. It further exemplifies how gay individuals have objectified representations of masculinity through sexual fantasies, shaping their understanding of gay sexuality. Cultural masculine models have been instrumentalized through culturally gendered practices, with different sexual identities leading to the emergence of sexual pluralism.

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