The approval practice of "out-of-masculinity" by Johnny's male fans

This paper discusses the fan inner practice by Johnny's male fans from the perspective of sociology and gender.<br>Three informants who loved the male idols mainly in their 20s were interviewed. The results show that they considered the male idols as "cute." In general, it is uncommon for men to rate other males as "cute," but we found that the fans love the "flirty" relationships between idols, characters of "princesses," and behaviors that do not fit into the normative masculinity. In this paper, these social backgrounds are discussed quoting liquid modern theory with related with difficulties to live of males.<br>When the practice of evaluating Johnny's idols as "cute" by the male fans is focused on, it is turned out that through gazing at the idols, they approve their own "out-of-masculinity" as a male identity which is not located in normative masculinity and deconstructed from hierarchy of dominance/subordination in hegemonic masculinity. The approval practice of "out-of-masculinity" can be classified into two categories: "approval of out-of-masculinity through the gaze from femininity in oneself," or looking at Johnny's idols as male from an inherent feminine perspective, and "approval of out-of-masculinity through the gaze at femininity in others," or looking at the femininity in Johnny's idols from male perspective.<br>From the above research, this paper points out the existence of femininity in male which isn't discussed within social constructionism and the detail and approval practice of "out-of-masculinity" which the Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity as a framework of dominance / subordination didn't capture.