Hello everyone! David Beckham came up in rehearsal for "Corpus" recently, and I'd like to share with you some of my thoughts on the footballer as it relates to our theme. We’ve been exploring the body as both a tool to be used(working in the field, typing on a computer) and an aesthetic to be sculpted(painting your nails, plastic surgery). Working in an exclusively male ensemble, the subject of masculinity has inevitably begun to intersect with our exploration. How we view it, how we deal it, and how we define it have all been touched on in the rehearsal room. This leads me to some thoughts on David Beckham:
Looking at this picture of David Beckham, he seems to inhabit a space both “masculine” and “feminine“.
Beckham brazen and assertive this displays of his body, but there is also something demure and fragile about him in this photo.
The photo is fiercely sexual, but in what way...
Perhaps he is so brazen in his masculinity, so fiercely confident, that he dares to be oiled up, half-dressed, and clutching a massive rope. His masculinity has such force that it can invade and occupy feminine territory.
But more importantly, what do YOU think about Beckham’s fashion spreads?
So much to ponder! So many things going on in that photo too. The feminine: the shiny hair and the pose. And also, for some reason, the big rope wrapped around his thigh - that feels like a very female image (or something that you only really see female models do).
ReplyDeleteI am curious about who is the audience that this photo is intended for. Obviously, he has attractive qualities - he ain't hurtin' my eyes. Yet, I don't feel attracted to him, persay. I don't think that if I saw him hanging out at the beach like this that I would sidle up to him and start asking him about the weather.
Is this image also a play on what is typically considered the ideal for the 'midwestern soccer mom' (whatever that means)?? Like, the soap-opera watching type? Or is this photo for gay men?
I don't know if that enlightens things at all. Just thoughts that occurred to me while looking at the photo.