Unveiling the male corset: Goth masculine gender performance in rural Australia

Contemporary sociological research indicates rural men face increasing pressure to comply with hegemonic masculine gender norms. Adopting Butler's poststructural theory of gender performativity, this study presents findings from qualitative interviews with twenty-five self-identified male Goths living in rural Australia, revealing how participants enacted masculinity and how rurality shaped gender performance. Despite participants' believing their Goth identity transcended geographic location, Goth self expression of counter normative masculinity was met with societal pressure. Rural Australian communities were presented as strongly upholding normative, traditional gender expectations as most participants experienced adverse responses, namely,homophobic hostility, employment discrimination, bullying, and/or physical assault,which necessitated modification of gender performance for individual safety and well being. Participants largely attributed negative reactions to rural communities' ''closed mindedness'' in contrast with the ''open-mindedness'' they experienced in urban communities. Overall, participants believed urban communities in Australia and beyond displayed greater acceptance of diverse gender performances than rural Australia.