Examples Of Masculinity In Dodgeball

“Tired of being out of shape and out of luck with the opposite sex?” begins the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Director and screenwriter Rawson Marshall Thurber immediately defines the atmosphere of the film as that of comparison and competition with this opening scene. As the plot furthers, this competitive attitude intensifies as main characters Peter Lefleur and White Goodman struggle for dominance. The film demonstrates a vertical homosocial relationship between the two men, in which a hierarchy of masculinity is created “through competition and exclusion” (Hammaren and Johansson 3). White Goodman’s evident wealth and influence lead him to threaten the manhood of Peter Lefleur in order to further his own masculine reputation. However,

White’s emotional nature, though disguised for a great portion of the film, determines his inferiority along this masculine hierarchy, whereas Peter, his main competitor, shows indifference to White’s challenges and wins the power struggle due to few, but successful displays of strength and influence. Dodgeball reinforces stereotypes for masculinity because the reason for White’s failed manhood stems from his insecurities, and Peter’s triumph develops due to unemotional achievement. Initially, White persistently promotes his masculinity by outwardly demonstrating his power. White’s gym’s motto perfectly embodies his incessant need to feel dominant: “We’re better than you, and we know it!” White shouts during his commercial. This sense of pride is furthered by the visual landscape of the scene; White

Peter’s sexual conquest and financial gain based on his risk-taking behavior allow him to establish his high rank along the hierarchy of masculinity. Furthermore, Peter’s actions demean the masculinity that White had so tirelessly attempted to promote. Defeated, White storms off in an emotional rage. The camera follows him from a higher angle, amplifying the weak, feminine nature of his expression. Peter’s and White’s relationship is defined by vertical homosociality, in which competition and gender policing is prevalent. White’s incessant attempts to prove his manhood actually have the adverse effects: the constant public displays of power and dominance reveal an insecurity of his internal masculinity. And because Peter is able to evoke these feminine insecurities on multiple occasions, he reduces White to the bottom of this masculine hierarchy. Thus, Dodgeball fundamentally reinforces gender expectations, defining emotional expression as irrational and weak and defining calm confidence as resilient and