jojo and queer masculinity essay

source: https://medium.com/@urbanfriendden/an-essay-about-jojos-bizarre-adventure-and-queer-masculinities-5d3b5f25567b

When I first watched JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure in 2012, I wasn’t out yet. I saw Jonathan Joestar, the diesel-jacked gentleman rip out of his clothes more than one time, changing into increasingly skimpier wardrobes every other two episodes. I saw vampire extraordinaire Dio Brando dress like an idiot steampunk wizard as he poisoned his foster dad before rejecting the prospect of upper-body clothing entirely (also he turned a dude into a dog at one point?). Despite the absurdity of it all, these two men weren’t afraid to cry, afraid to show affection, or even afraid to feel afraid. They were the most hyperbolised masculine pieces of meat I’d ever seen and they were emotional. Then Battle Tendency aired right after and Joseph and Caesar wore make-up and crop tops.

That same year I came out as bi. Huh.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the men (and the women) of JoJo carry masculinity in non-conforming ways. They defy the cis-heterosexual prisons of how mascs are ought to approach body language, fashion style, and presentation. Instead, characters dress freely, move dramatically, and pose sensually! To me, a queer man, it feels like an incredibly queer show in a way I haven’t seen anywhere else. I want to investigate the possible causes of why it’s so different, and what kinds of implications it has. I assume that the reader: 1) is familiar or interested in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2) has an open mind about the term ‘queer masculinities’ 3) doesn’t see this thesis as an obfuscation or obviation of other possible critical considerations.
My specific question is: “What possible avenues have led JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to arrive at a queered configuration of masculinity?” My goal here is to to try and establish a base discourse, meaning that deeper discussions of, for example, race, ethnicity, or women can feel somewhat sparse. In that light, I welcome any addendum, comment, and critique made for whatever reason!

Disclaimer: I’m not making JJBA out to be in any way revolutionary. Its queerness is the corollary of on one hand the art direction and the other the silence around its own queer factors, resulting in a paradoxical normalising effect. There are a couple of explicitly gay or bi characters (DIO, Pucci, Sorbet & Gelato) in the show, but its approaches to masculinity and queerness are only accidentally instructive, maybe because it is a-categorical.