Women with Muscle: Contemporary Women and the Classic Muscle Car

Lezotte, Chris

doi:10.5250/fronjwomestud.34.2.0083

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Muscle cars, e.g., certain Camaros, Challengers, Chargers, Corvettes, Mustangs, and Gran Turismo Omologatos (GTOs) have an engine that is at least a V8, an eight-cylinder piston engine with more “muscle” than cars with four or six cylinders for fuel intake. 1 These American-made two-door sports coupes have powerful engines designed for high-performance driving and are associated with patriotism (Lezotte, 2013 ). Sports cars, such as particular models of Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus, or Lamborghini cars, tend to have recognizable sleek body styles, with elements reminiscent of race cars.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An ethnography of car culture revealed that a man with a “car obsession” sometimes justified the resources he expended on excessive cars by “discovering” an appropriate vehicle for his wife's use (Lezotte, 2013 , p. 92), co-opting her into his hobby that was at times obsessional. Expenses for some may even include “car condos,” car storage units marketed to men “who sometimes struggle to persuade spouses of the wisdom of plunking down $300,000 for a garage” (Green and Zahler, 2014 , para 5), a type of “lavish retirement home for their cherished vehicles” (Green and Zahler, 2014 , para 9).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Even more than that, men love cars”: “Car guy” memes and hegemonic masculinity

Dundes

2023

Front. Sociol.

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The construction of gender identities occurs through a variety of social forces, including memes widely circulated on social media. Beyond the function of internet memes as entertainment, they also promote gender-based bonding through humor in ways that encourage performative gender roles central to self-image. Decoding memes as a form of contemporary data reveals desires and fears, both conscious and unconscious, that underlie dramaturgical performances supporting hegemonic masculinity. In the case of “car guys,” car aficionados whose passion for cars is integral to their identity, memes reflect the group's aspirational presentation of self, including cars, as a symbolic physical embodiment of hegemonic masculinity. This semiotic study of 60 car guy memes shared on social media uncovered recurrent motifs centered around cars' ability to affirm men's position in the metaphorical driver's seat. Flashy cars were often portrayed as more desirable than women, a sentiment encapsulated by the meme, “Men love women, but even more than that, men love cars.” This novel analysis of memes explores the ostensible male preference for fantasy cars over emotionally risky relationships. Two salient themes relevant to conceptions of masculinity emerged: (1) car guys' apprehensions about male–female interdependence and (2) frustration with women's discretion in meeting men's emotional and sexual needs. Memes as a cross-sectional, unfiltered data source provide insight into the need to reconcile car culture with gender equality.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Even more than that, men love cars”: “Car guy” memes and hegemonic masculinity

Dundes

2023

Front. Sociol.

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“…Projects focusing on women's engagement in various car cultures (Lezotte 2012(Lezotte , 2013bLumsden 2010Lumsden , 2014 examine the ways women develop a passion for automobiles in a society that discourages them from participation. Many women learn about cars from fathers; they discover early on that an effective way to develop a relationship with Dad is to become interested in the things he loves.…”

Section: The Future Female Drivermentioning

confidence: 99%

Pink power: The Barbie car and female automobility

Lezotte

2023

J of American Culture

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“…Yet, much like the protagonists in Leaving Normal , Freda and her companion are resolute and devise alternative means of transport to reach their ultimate destination. When speaking with female muscle car owners, I discovered women are often reluctant to act on automotive desires as they feel undeserving of such nonessential pleasures (Lezotte, “Muscle”). That the convertible failed to deliver on what was promised in these two films suggests such sentiments are valid.…”

Section: Women’s Film Carsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Would Miss Daisy Drive? The Road Trip Film, the Automobile, and the Woman Behind the Wheel

Lezotte¹

2021

The J of Popular Culture

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INCE WOMEN FIRST EXPRESSED INTEREST IN AUTOMOBILITY, AUTOmanufacturers and marketers have determinedly directed the female motorist toward the practical "family" vehicle. While men are often encouraged to purchase automobiles that reflect power and performance, women are expected to drive a safe, reliable, and functional automobile that reinforces the gender-appropriate roles of wife and mother. The gendering of the automotive experience was instigated soon after the introduction of the gasoline-powered automobile in the early twentieth century as a solution to the growing problem of women's automobility in American society. Fearful the increased power and range provided by the internal-combustion engine would encourage women to drive faster and further-and away from domestic responsibilities-the slow and sedate electric vehicle with limited range was positioned as eminently more suitable for the woman driver. 1 After World War II, automakers continued to rely upon the cultural assumption that women's "unchanging biological natures" resulted in a gender-wide preference for sensible, sound, and dependable cars perfectly suited for the transportation of kids and cargo (Scharff 116). In the twenty-first century, the association between function, family, and the female driver continues, as women

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Women with Muscle: Contemporary Women and the Classic Muscle Car

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

“Even more than that, men love cars”: “Car guy” memes and hegemonic masculinity

“Even more than that, men love cars”: “Car guy” memes and hegemonic masculinity

Pink power: The Barbie car and female automobility

What Would Miss Daisy Drive? The Road Trip Film, the Automobile, and the Woman Behind the Wheel

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