Male Icons and Identity in 1960s Britain

Male Icons and Identity in 1960s Britain: Revolt into Style explores the profound social and cultural transformations of the 1960s through the lens of masculinity. This collection of essays delves into how male identity, often resistant to change, serves as a barometer for the broader societal shifts of the era. Contributors from diverse academic backgrounds examine iconic figures from popular music (Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger), cinema (Michael Caine) and television (Patrick Macnee, Peter Wyngarde, and Patrick McGoohan), as well as artistic polymaths like Anthony Newley and Peter Whitehead. The essays also venture into the realms of politics, football, fashion and fine art, providing a comprehensive view of how evolving masculine ideals influenced British culture. The collection highlights the tension between traditional values and emerging pluralistic ideals, offering a nuanced understanding of the period's cultural dynamics. This collection is ideal for students and academics in gender studies, cultural history, and sociology, as well as general readers interested in understanding a transformative decade when established norms of male identity faced unprecedented challenges.

Caroline Langhorst is a film and cultural historian/independent scholar and creative practitioner. She has a PhD from De Montfort University on rebellious actors, performance styles and nonconformist stardom in 1960s British cinema, and has published on performed masculinities, the long, transatlantic 1960s and the counterculture as well as actor/director collaborations. Robert Shail is Professor of Film and Director of Research in Leeds School of Arts at Leeds Beckett University. He is widely published on postwar British cinema including its directors and stars, and on the representation of masculinity. His most recent work has focused on children's culture including films, television and games.

1. Introduction: Revolt into Style - Caroline Langhorst and Robert Shail 2. The War in Ambrosia: Billy Liar (1963) and Angry Young Men Between the New Wave and Swinging London - Melissa Oliver-Powell 3. 'If Long Hair is Fashion and Beads are Au Courant...'; The Peacock Revolution and the Politics of Male Dress in the 1960s - Richard Hudson-Miles 4. Leading the Sixties: the Masculinities of Party-Political Leadership in 1960s Britain - Matthew Bailey and Melanie Williams 5. Bowler Hat, Umbrella and Scotch?: Patrick Macnee, Cultural Hybridity and the Transatlantic 1960s - Caroline Langhorst 6. Peter Wyngarde: The Man Who Would be King, Jason King - Steven Gerrard 7. On His Own Terms: Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American Defiance and 1960s Britain - Caroline Langhorst 8. Shifting 'Macca-sculinity': The Paul McCartney Persona throughout the 1960s - Matthew Melia 9. Sittin' on a Fence: Mick Jagger, Sexual Fluidity and Performative Androgyny - Stephen Gaunson 10. Ordinariness Sixties Style: Michael Caine and The IPCRESS File - Andrew Spicer 11. Alan Bates in the 1960s: The Reluctant Hero - Robert Shail 12. 'Oh, What a Son of a Bitch I Am': Anthony Newley - Performance, Personae, Pop-Surrealism, Purgatory and the Strange World of Heironymus Merkin - Philip Todd 13. Peter le fou: Peter Whitehead and the Assassination of Swinging London - Robert Chilcott 14. England's Two Bobbys: Picturing Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore, the Perfect Gentleman and the Consummate Professional - Joyce Woolridge 15. The New Wave in British Art: Blake, Hamilton and Hockney - Robert Shail