Ryan Isherwood

My project explores how self-identified men in gothic/alternative musical subcultures construct their sense of masculinity both online and offline. Using a qualitative methodology, I aim to understand how these practices relate to emotional and mental well-being and how internal and external factors shape the experience of masculinity for both fans and musicians within the culture. The research will examine whether alternative subculture challenge or reproduce traditional ideas of gender and how these idealisations of gender can potentially provide spaces for emotional expression and shape how masculinity is able to be expressed.