ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I explore the 1980s bushman revival as iconic of an ideal Australian masculine identity. I argue that this revival is the result of a response to feminist gains in the 1960s, and the emerging forms of a perceived materialistic masculinity that contradict the Australian-adopted values of a non-materialist, masculine identity unconcerned with wealth, status and prestige. I articulate this through discussing the shift to the production of new narratives of masculinity in the 1990s and noughties, exploring the effect globalisation, consumerism, and new technology has had on the imaginings of the iconic Australian male. I look to the production of men’s lifestyle magazines including Men’s Health, FHM, Zoo Weekly, and Ralph to trace what I call the fracturing of an iconic Australian male identity.
