September 30th – The Status of Beckham in Celebrity Culture & Masculinity Construction (Yannick Kluch)

I really enjoyed reading “One David Beckham? Celebrity, Masculinity, and the Soccerati” by Ellis Cashmore and Andrew Parker this week. In this article, Cashmore and Parker (2003) analyze soccer player David Beckham as a “key site through which cultural change can be viewed” (p. 214). I find it extremely interesting how the authors (2003) examine Beckham’s images in popular culture in terms of the role they play in the construction of identity, consumption, and masculinities (p. 214).

Cashmore and Parker (2003) describe Beckham as a new kind of celebrity in the UK and the world; they describe him as the following:

Enter Beckham. Emerging master, global phenomenon, chosen-one, sporting messiah, corporate and commercial standard bearer. Calm, considered, slight yet strong, tattooed for the cause, quintessential sporting icon. What shapes his identity? Fame, fortune, fatherhood, fashion: all of these and much more. (p. 216)

The authors show Beckham’s unique standing in global sports culture, and beyond, here. At the core of this characterization is Beckham’s ability to “[push] at the boundaries between sport and show business” (Cashmore and Parker, 2003, p. 217). Because of his marriage with Victoria Beckham, former member of the Spice Girls, and his multiple marketing campaigns for the fashion industry, Beckham has become both a first-class soccer player, an important brand, and a well-known celebrity.

While he clearly markets himself beyond the sport of soccer itself, Beckham’s athletic ability is rarely questioned. I think that this is one of the major differences in the construction of male and female sport celebrities. While it is tolerated (and even appreciated and celebrated) for men to be both amazingly talented at a sport and to be at the center of celebrity culture, the media (and our culture in general) tends to reinforce constructions of women athletes in sports as the latter. A good example of this is Russian former tennis player Anna Kournikova, who is probably one of the most well-known tennis stars in the world. However, few would say that she achieved this status by her accomplishments in the sport of tennis. I would speculate that, when thinking of Kournikova, most people do not acknowledge and remember her being no. 8 in the world at one time (and even world no. 1 player in doubles) but certainly remember her for dating Enrique Iglesias. As such, her popularity was not based on her athletic ability but on her physical appearance and celebrity status in the media.

Finally, Cashmore and Parker also make great points about Beckham’s position in the construction of masculinities. They write (2003):

To this end Beckham’s inclusive popularity should be seen as a positive step in terms of the masculine norms which he clearly transcends and the subversive trends and behaviors he explicitly displays. Indeed, what he is portraying (whether he knows it or not) is a version of masculinity that contradicts, confuses, and conflates all in one. He is “new-man” (nurturer, romantic, compassionate partner) and “new-lad”/”dad-lad” (soccer hero, fashionable father, conspicuous consumer – [...] cosmetically conscious “metrosexual”) while still demonstrating vestiges of “old industrial man” (loyal, dedicated, stoic, breadwinning). (p. 225)

Beckham is successful at continuously negotiating his masculinity in relation to the hegemonic ideal; and I think part of his huge success is due to the fact that he pushes the boundaries of traditional masculinity. Much like the authors, I think that his popularity is a big step towards making sport more inclusive. The presence of Beckham (and his ambiguous masculinity) in the media encourages young athletes to not follow the hegemonic ideal as strictly, and instead be more welcoming of other forms of masculinity.