So slide over here: The aesthetics of masculinity in late twentieth century Australian pop music

Young, G 2004, ‘So slide over here: The aesthetics of masculinity in late twentieth century Australian pop music’, Popular Music, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 173-193.

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The main idea expressed in this article is the relationship between music and masculinity in Australia from the 1970s onwards. Young argues that male performers either presented themselves as caricatured males emphasising stereotypes, or stripped sexuality out of their performances altogether as a defense against the assumed link between male performance and homosexuality. Also discussed is normative masculinity in Australian pop music. This is defined as having a connection to the land (e.g. the bush, the desert, the ocean) and thus harks back to Australian bush legend. Young for the most part supports his ideas with arguments from other scholars and pulls together evidence from various sources including lyrics of songs, the post-music careers of musicians, sports, fashion and costumes and international musical influences. The article challenges the reader to look at Australian pop music and performance from a critical perspective. This article gives a broad overview of influences on masculinity in the late twentieth century but does not specifically focus on the 1970s. It would be useful not only for researchers trying to gain an insight into male fashions but it also provides information about the time period, male icons/celebrities of the time and attitudes towards the connection between homosexuality, performance and clothing.