BROMANCE : les paradoxes des stratégies homosociales
Since the turn of the 21st century, the emergence!of!the term “Bromance” is seen as reflecting a significant phenomenon in popular American culture. The concept reflects an evolving definition of a particular kind of friendship between men as portrayed in movies, television and on the Internet. Bromance movies, which are characterized by multiple scenes of declarations of love between men, reflect this new way of approaching the male friendship. Through the various definitions of masculinity in these films, the issue of heterosexuality remains ubiquitous. Despite the weakening of some traditional male stereotypes, it remains no less that the notion of 'real' masculinity persists and is systematically linked to the heterosexuality of males who share a relationship that exceeds the usual friendship, a Bromance. In this context, several strategies are used to prove the masculinity and the heterosexuality of the protagonists. One of them seems to be at the heart of these films and takes the form of a competition between men who dare to perform an act conventionally associated with homosexuality. "Gay Chicken" videos on the Internet show men kissing and touching without being disturbed or shaken. It is the ability of a man to stay calm, in control and insensitive to the body of an another man that proves the unshakeable side of his heterosexuality and therefore his masculinity. This spirit of "Gay chicken" is found everywhere in the world of Bromance films. Paradoxically, these new 'models' of manhood aim to embody a more flexible, open and sensitive masculinity, while also proving their virility. This "contemporary masculinity" blurs the line between what is manly and what is not, between what is feminine and what is not and between what is homosexual and what is not. Homosocial relations within the context of a Bromance become indispensable opportunities to prove to everyone the strength of one’s heterosexuality. This research will focus more specifically on the paradoxes of a "contemporary masculinity" which is closely tied to heterosexual orientation, through some films from popular American culture that are associated with Bromance. The objective is to show how these films are significant demonstrations of a new statement of male identity that emerges through homosocial relationships marked by homosexual tensions and subtexts which must be continuously suppressed or invalidated.
Bromance Homosocial Masculin Comédies Friendship Masculinity Male Heterosexuality Heteronormativity American cinema Comedies Popular culture Bromance Homosocial