BECOMING KING: MEN IN NUS PAGEANTS AND NEW COMPOSITE MASCULINITY IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

NUS pageants are organised annually and considerably quite elaborately, featuring a selected group of charismatic freshmen, a decent amount of fanfare and a glamorous finale complete with the crowning of a ‘King’ and ‘Queen’. Despite pageants being platforms that clearly endeavour to present as well as construct perfection, their research value has been largely overlooked and neglected in scholarly work, especially in the local context. This study recognises NUS pageants as rich contexts for the study of ideals, especially one that offers a compelling investigation into the changing order of masculinity in Singapore. Adopting an exploratory and inductive approach, this study used in-depth qualitative interviews with former pageant participants and organisers to capture a comprehensive account of masculinity in NUS pageants, and draws on two main theories for the analysis and interpretation of its findings: (1) the theory of hegemonic masculinity and (2) the theory of hybrid masculinity. The study uncovered deep inconsistencies between the new model of ideal masculinity configured in university pageants and traditional hegemonic masculine standards. Findings revealed that while idealised masculinity in pageants retain select hegemonic masculine traits, it simultaneously subverts traditional masculine expectations by incorporating conventionally subordinate ‘soft’ masculine attributes as well as feminine qualities into its masculine performance. Hence illuminating a new complex, composite masculine ideal that advances a more nuanced analysis of modern masculinity, which in its hybridised nature, can no longer be captured by dichotomous categories