Eugen Sandow: Performing New Masculinities

• Authors: Aaron Wood

Abstracts

EN

In the late 1800s masculinity as understood in the United States’ urban northeast underwent a major transformation as the preceding emphasis upon decorum and civility gave way to a new ideal based on masculine health and fitness. This thesis seeks to demonstrate the significant role that Eugen Sandow, a Prussian born strongman who rose to international fame at the turn of the century, played in this masculine transformation. Sandow rose to stardom alongside theatre impresario Florenz Ziegfeld and used that stardom to revolutionize American manhood. Sandow was a performer, an athlete, and marketing genius. These three distinct identities coalesced to allow Sandow the opportunity to inspire a nation.

Keywords

EN

Eugen Sandow; masculinity; fitness; performance; marketing; American culture

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Warszawski
• Journal: Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 21-38

Dates

published

2021

Contributors

author

Aaron Wood

• School of Theatre, Louisiana State University

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Identifiers

DOI

10.14394/eidos.jpc.2021.0037

Biblioteka Nauki

2044656