Title: Cow Boys, Cattle Men and Competing Masculinities on the Texas Frontier
Abstract: The cowboy has become an icon of masculinity to generations of Americans and, indeed, around the world. From the Virginian to John Wayne, Teddy Roosevelt to George W. Bush, men have 'cowboyed up' to tame both literal and figurative frontiers and to prove their manhood and that of their country. The masculine cowboy hero of film and literature usually straddles the frontier between civilisation and the wilderness; sometimes siding with the townspeople against the wilderness, and sometimes, as in the case of the anti-hero or friend of the Indian, against 'civilisation'. But, whether he accepts or rejects white society, his manhood is never in question; indeed, it is usually superior to those around him. In most depictions it is the cowboy's scorn for society and simplicity that makes him the most manly, in contrast to a similarly mythified and feminised city 'dude' in fancy clothes. But in truth, historically, cattlemen and the surrounding townspeople did not think the cowboy was manly for his 'uncivilised' ways. In fact, from the late 1870s on, as the Texas frontier became more settled, the real cowboys faced increasing demands from the people around them to rein in the very traits that Americans considered the most masculine.
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot