The dissertation explores the enduring cultural associations between meat and masculinity, examining how this relationship is produced, represented, and interpreted in contemporary western societies. Drawing on qualitative research in Flanders, it analyses men’s everyday practices, media representations, and audience interpretations across interviews, advertising, Instagram content, and focus groups. The findings reveal a tension between dominant media ideals of meat-related masculinities, centred on health, craftsmanship, and taste, and men’s more nuanced, situational lived experiences. Rather than simply adopting these ideals, men engage with them critically and selectively. The dissertation argues that meat-related masculinities are not defined by eating meat per se, but by “doing meat” through culturally meaningful practices. By introducing new conceptual tools, it contributes to research on food, gender, and communication, with implications for public health, media, and sustainable food cultures.
Elina Vrijsen (Thu,) studied this question.