ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, it was necessary to strengthen the spirit of unity across the country as a means to cope with the trauma inflicted upon the nation. Post-9/11, nationalist rhetoric revolved around the reconstruction of old myths of masculinized American heroes, resorting particularly to the figure of John Wayne and to fundamental aspects of captivity narratives. Women's status as powerless creatures who need to be saved by a “manly man” hero has persisted to this day in the U.S. imaginary of more conservative sectors and was predominantly retrieved in the post-9/11 nationalist discourse. Representations of vigorous male heroes dominated the American media, marginalizing women's roles after the attacks as well as excluding their voices. This chapter discusses the ways in which nationalist rhetoric tried to argue that the growing influence of feminist discourse had contributed to the feminization of the American male, thus threatening his status of virile hero capable of protecting the American nation in need of rescue. I will reflect on how the impulse to unify the nation and achieve national security marginalized feminist discourse, ultimately trying to push women back into the private sphere.
