Spornosexual is a
blend
A blend is a mixture of two or more different things or substances; e.g., a product of a mixer or blender.
Blend
Blend may also refer to:
* Blend word, a word formed from parts of other words
* ''Blend'' (album), a 1996 album by BoDeans
* ...
of ''sports'' and the
clipping
Clipping may refer to:
Words
* Clipping (morphology), the formation of a new word by shortening it, e.g. "ad" from "advertisement"
* Clipping (phonetics), shortening the articulation of a speech sound, usually a vowel
* Clipping (publications) ...
''porno'',
compounded with ''sexual.'' The term was coined by
Mark Simpson in 2014 to describe a man "who is influenced in his appearance by the stars of sport and pornography". It recognises young men who use "their toned bodies on social media as a means of feeling valuable in society."
Jamie Hakim has described this as a "power-shift of a segment of society who have historically defined themselves through their mind, whilst at the same time defining those they have subordinated - such as women - through their bodies".
Simpson also coined the term
metrosexual
''Metrosexual'' is a portmanteau of '' metropolitan'' and ''sexual'' coined in 1994, describing a man of ambiguous sexuality, (especially one living in an urban, post-industrial, capitalist culture) who is especially meticulous about his groomin ...
in 1994.
Details
The term originated in an article by cultural commentator
Mark Simpson in 2014;
Simpson's
metrosexual
''Metrosexual'' is a portmanteau of '' metropolitan'' and ''sexual'' coined in 1994, describing a man of ambiguous sexuality, (especially one living in an urban, post-industrial, capitalist culture) who is especially meticulous about his groomin ...
is a portmanteau of ''
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
'' and ''
heterosexual
Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to ...
.'' He describes spornosexuals as frequently
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
men who
exercise
Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness.
It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...
at a
gym
A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...
in order to share eroticised
selfie
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...
s of their
toned bodies on
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
.
Simpson considers spornosexuality as the second,
more extreme, generation of metrosexuality, since the "uptake by men of products, practises and pleasures previously ring-fenced for women and gay men" has become normalised.
Instead, Simpson claims, spornosexual men want to be recognised for their bodies rather than their clothes.
Examples of such men include
Dan Osborne
Daniel James Osborne (born 27 June 1991) is an English television personality, known for being a former cast member on the ITVBe reality series ''The Only Way Is Essex''. In 2018, he was a housemate on ''Celebrity Big Brother,'' reaching the fin ...
,
Thom Evans
Thom Evans (born 2 April 1985) is a Scottish former international rugby union player and model. He last played on the wing
for Glasgow Warriors in the Celtic League. Evans's rugby career ended aged 24 on his tenth appearance for Scotland when h ...
,
David McIntosh David McIntosh may refer to:
* David McIntosh (''Gladiators'') (born 1985), English actor
* David McIntosh (Scottish footballer), Scottish footballer
* Dave McIntosh (1925–1995), Scottish footballer
* David Gregg McIntosh
David Gregg McInt ...
and
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
.
Jamie Hakim's research, "The Spornosexual: the affective contradictions of male body-work in neoliberal digital culture", was published in the ''
Journal of Gender Studies
The ''Journal of Gender Studies'' is a leading British peer-reviewed journal for interdisciplinary gender studies, published by Routledge. It has been published since 1991, and publishes articles relating to gender from a feminist perspective cov ...
'' in 2016. Hakim writes that young men defining their value through their body is a response to the effects of
austerity
Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...
on them since 2008, when the ability to create value through other means became harder.
"This is all the more surprising because this use of body-image to derive social value has long been associated with groups men tended to be viewed as inferior."
''
HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' said this research "went as far as blaming the financial crisis for the rise of the 'Spornosexual'".
Greg Wolfman has written about a proliferation of men's "consumer lifestyles", or "marketed manhoods", that includes spornosexual with
lumbersexual
Lumberjacks are mostly North American workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to loggers in the era (before 1945 in the Unite ...
and
hipster.
See also
*
*
*
References
Further reading
*
*
*{{cite journal, first1=Vincent Wayne, last1=Mitchell, first2=Amar, last2=Lodhia, title=Understanding the metrosexual and spornosexual as a segment for retailers, journal=International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, volume=45, issue=4, pages=349–365, date=10 April 2017, issn=0959-0552, doi=10.1108/IJRDM-05-2016-0080
Popular culture neologisms
Cultural appropriation
Narcissism
Fashion
Stereotypes of men
Stereotypes of urban people
Terms for men
Subcultures
2010s fads and trends
2010s neologisms
Heterosexuality