ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 draws on the empirical data. In this chapter, the data are theorized using gender concepts and theories, such as hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1987). In this chapter, I demonstrate the ways in which love makes it difficult for men to embody hegemonic masculinity; rather, they draw on other masculine behaviors to achieve this leading form of masculinity, such as sexual promiscuity and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol/drugs. Some guys do not want the ‘happily ever after’ because it makes it difficult to achieve hegemonic masculinity.
