Email this article Reimagining Fatherhood: Masculinity’s Impact on Sons and Daughters in Lovely Man (2011) and The Birdcage (1996)
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ABSTRACT
Universally father figures are often linked to traditional masculinity values, emphasizing toughness, self-relience, and emotional control. This research analyzes the representation of masculinity in the film Lovely Man and The Birdcage, focusing on how a transgender and gay father is portrayed within different cultural contexts of father-child relationship. This study highlights how their gender identities reshape family dynamics and challenge conventional masculinity. By comparing these films, it offers a broader perspective on how non-conforming gender identities influence family relationships and expand the discourse on fatherhood beyond heteronormative frameworks. Using a qualitative approach and Connell’s masculinity theory, this study examines how masculinity functions in film narratives. In Lovely Man, the father grapples with social stigma, guilt, and difficult choices but strives to connect with his child and fulfill his peternal role despite imperfections. In The Birdcage, the father prioritizes his child’s happiness amid social conflicts. Both films challenge the dominant cultural expectation of fathers as strong, morally upright patriarchs by presenting alternative masculinities that emphasize care, responsibility, and emotional depth. However, hegemonic masculinity traits, like authority and emotional control, persist within these non-normative identities, indicating that paternal behaviors remain influenced by traditional masculine values across diverse identities.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.26499/surbet.v20i2.30895
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