Ahh, the Bromance

I had a real problem with a lot of the examples that were brought up in this article, but I’ll try to keep myself from ranting. To begin with, however, I would like to ask a simple question: why is it that as soon as intimate male bonds are depicted on television a name must be assigned to this concept in order to draw a distinction between friendship and homosexuality? As far as I know, no term has been coined regarding close female bonds – we don’t feel the need to announce to the world that WE ARE NOT LESBIANS. Why is this cultural phenomenon of “bromance” so easily condoned by the media and by society in general?

Our writer begins by stating that homosexuality has increasingly become more acceptable by society over the past couple decades…so why is there such a need to clarify this difference? The real problem to me is that, it seems, men believe that by showing emotion, care, and consideration for one another they are emasculating themselves. Close male bonds have always existed: why is it then that so recently men need an “excuse” to behave a certain way? Why is it that now they fear being mistaken as gay? A logical explanation I suppose would be that gay characters have received greater roles recently, or that acceptance of homosexuality IS in fact more common and thus men are fearful of being “seduced” into this lifestyle, as this is one of the criticisms of homosexuality that consistently comes up. To me, it’s just ridiculous that this term even exists. Men can just be friends – they don’t need to be “cool” by defining their friendships as “bromances.”

As for the reality TV show Bromance that acted as the central example in this essay, please give me a break and PLEASE tell me that nobody actually watched the show. This just seems like a pathetic excuse for a celebrity male to gain attention, to promote advertisements, and to perpetuate the stereotypes that are a result of heteronormativity. Congratulations – you had a gay contestant…you didn’t kick him off the show. Nonetheless, the contests that were conducted are not only misogynistic but they are also reinforcing the dominant discourse of the heterosexual male.

Sorry, but I couldn’t really help from ranting.