Spornosexual
Spornosexual
Portmanteau of sports, porn and metrosexual
Spornosexual is a blend of sports and the clipping 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".[1][2][3] It recognises young men who use "their toned bodies on social media as a means of feeling valuable in society."[4] 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".[5]
Simpson also coined the term metrosexual in 1994.[6][7]
The term originated in an article by cultural commentator Mark Simpson in 2014;[8][9] Simpson's metrosexual is a portmanteau of metropolitan and heterosexual.[10] He describes spornosexuals as frequently working class men who exercise at a gym in order to share eroticised selfies of their toned bodies on social media.[8][11] Simpson considers spornosexuality as the second,[12] more extreme,[13] generation of metrosexuality, since the "uptake by men of products, practises and pleasures previously ring-fenced for women and gay men" has become normalised.[12] Instead, Simpson claims, spornosexual men want to be recognised for their bodies rather than their clothes.[12][14] Examples of such men include Dan Osborne, Thom Evans, David McIntosh[12][15][16] and Cristiano Ronaldo.[17][18][19]
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 in 2016.[20] Hakim writes that young men defining their value through their body is a response to the effects of austerity on them since 2008, when the ability to create value through other means became harder.[8][21][22] "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."[5] HuffPost said this research "went as far as blaming the financial crisis for the rise of the 'Spornosexual'".[4]
Greg Wolfman has written about a proliferation of men's "consumer lifestyles", or "marketed manhoods", that includes spornosexual with lumbersexual and hipster.[23]
- Body worship – Submissive act pertaining to BDSM
- Narcissism – Excessive preoccupation with oneself
- Self-brand – Process in which consumers match their self-concept with that of a specific brand image
- Bilmes, Alex (8 October 2014). "When did male body hair become a bad thing?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- Phillip, Abby (10 June 2014). "Step aside, metrosexuals, and make way for … the spornosexual man?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- "Addio al metrosexual, è arrivato lo "spornosexual"". Corriere dello Sport – Stadio. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- Baruchin, Uri (September 2016). "Marketing Should Promote A New Masculinity". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- "Men post sexy gym pictures on social media to compensate for loss of power". International Business Times UK. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- Pithers, Ellie (22 September 2014). "The Terrible Rise Of The 'Spornosexual'". Esquire. Archived from the original on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Men: What's A Spornosexual And Are You One?". HuffPost UK. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- "Austerity has caused young men to turn into 'spornosexuals'". The Independent. 11 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- "The rise of the spornosexual". Evening Standard. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Mark Simpson: "La metrosexualidad es hoy lo normal, llega el spornosexual"". La Vanguardia. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Is it time to meet the post-metrosexual generation: spornosexuals?". The Georgia Straight. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- Simpson, Mark (10 June 2014). "The metrosexual is dead. Long live the 'spornosexual'". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- Olesker, Max (12 January 2015). "The Rise And Rise of the Spornosexual". Esquire. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Spornosexuals: what is this new generation of men?". The Week. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- "Is 'spornosexual' the new metrosexual?". New York Post. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- "'Spornosexuals' the new metrosexuals". News.com.au. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- Cutler, Teddy (20 February 2016). "Meet Generation Spornosexual, spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo". Newsweek. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Forget metrosexuals, Cristiano Ronaldo is actually a spornosexual". Irish Examiner. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Young men aged 16-25 striving for picture-perfect bodies". i. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- "Quiz: Are you a 'spornosexual'?". Metro. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- "The Spornosexual - UEA". University of East Anglia. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- Wolfman, Greg (5 May 2017). "Metrosexual, hipster, spornosexual: why do we keep redefining men?". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- Simpson, Mark (25 March 2014). "Meat the Spornosexuals". marksimpson.com. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- Hakim, Jamie (17 February 2018). "'The Spornosexual': the affective contradictions of male body-work in neoliberal digital culture". Journal of Gender Studies. 27 (2): 231–241. doi:10.1080/09589236.2016.1217771. ISSN 0958-9236. S2CID 148459211.
- Mitchell, Vincent Wayne; Lodhia, Amar (10 April 2017). "Understanding the metrosexual and spornosexual as a segment for retailers". International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. 45 (4): 349–365. doi:10.1108/IJRDM-05-2016-0080. ISSN 0959-0552.