John Waters has been called the King
of Camp, the Pope of Trash, and the
Prince of Puke. At 73, the filmmaker behind
‘Hairspray,’ ‘Pink Flamingos,’ and ‘Polyester’
might be the closest thing we have to a
patriarch of unconventional manhood.
He spoke with GQ about how the culture
seems to be catching up to him—and how
the meaning of “masculinity” has evolved.
GQ: As the culture has shifted over
the course of your career, how do you
think the definition of “masculinity”
has changed?
JOHN WATERS: It has taken on so many
different meanings in my lifetime—today
it’s almost a word you can’t use. When
I was young, it was a threatening word.
It meant that you were going to be hassled
for not liking sports or not wanting to
fight. And now “masculinity” is a word
that is embraced by transgender men.
It can mean so many things to so many
different communities. It can be a very
negative word, or it can be a positive.
I think it should be a neutral word, and so
should “feminine.” Then they can’t be used
against anybody.
In your new book, Mr. Know-It-All,
you ask, “What is a real man today?”
What’s your answer?
A real man is not scared of strong, smart
women. Freud was wrong. Men are the
ones who have penis envy—for good
penises that respect women and are not
threatened by people who are smarter
or more powerful than them. And I think
that is what a good man is.
How widely do you think your notion
of “a good man” has caught on?
It’s an economic question. It depends
on where you live in the country and how
you’re doing financially. And I think the
more men are threatened, the worse they
get at masculinity. Humor is how you
get people to change their minds. Humor
is the way that people escape. Humor is
how you can embrace the enemy.
JOHN
WATERS
The Filmmaker
Who’s Been Rethinking
Masculinity Since
Before It Was Cool
Photograph by Amy Arbus
44 %
of men have gotten
in a physical fight.
45 %
of men want to be
very or somewhat
similar to their
fathers.
72 %
of men have raised
their voice to
settle an argument.
38 %
of men have used
moisturizer in the
past six months.
10 %
of men have taken
a yoga class.
Which of the
following words do
you associate with
“masculinity”?
Sensitive
14% 13%
100%
0%
100%
0%
100%
0%
100%
0%
M W
M W
M W
M W
Gentle
20%
16%
Macho
35%
49%
Muscular
52%
67%
GQ’S SURVEY OF ATTITUDES ON MASCULINITY WAS ADMINISTERED IN AUGUST 2019 AND POSED A SERIES OF MULTIPLE CHOICE AND WRITE-IN QUESTIONS TO 1,005 AMERICANS
Percentage of men
who worry about
their mental health
on a daily basis:
Ages 16 to 34: 38%
Ages 35 to 64: 20%
Percentage of men
who say they worry
about clothing and
personal style on a
daily basis:
Ages 16 to 34: 13%
Since the #MeToo
movement,
of men say
they feel less
confident in the
workplace.
16%
of men say
they feel more
confident in
the workplace.
10%
Money is the thing
that men and women
both say they
worry about most.
Percentage of
respondents who say
they worry about it
on a daily basis:
Men: 46%
Women: 60%
of men consider
themselves masculine
with at least some
feminine traits.
of men consider
themselves
completely
masculine.
59% 59%
40%
The State of
Masculinity
Now:
A GQ Survey
To find out how
perceptions and
behaviors are
shifting, we polled
1,005 Americans
who identify as
male, female, or
gender nonbinary,
asking them some
pretty wide-
ranging questions
about what they see
and how they feel.
Ages 35 to 64: 1%
VOICES OF THE NEW MASCULINITY
VOICES OF THE NEW MASCULINITY
VOICES OF THE NEW MASCULINITY
VOICES OF THE NEW MASCULINITY VOICES OF THE NEW MASCULINITY VOICE
98 GQ.COM NOVEMBER 2019
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT, GROOMING: SUTAN AMRULL. RIGHT, PHOTOGRAPH: KENDAL THOMAS.
