ABSTRACT
From a historical perspective, the non-conformist masculinity of Butt boys also owes much to an archive of subcultural masculinities within post-1945 pop-cultural history. Butt's post-phallic focus can be traced back to the figure of the hipster in the US culture around 1960. This form of masculinity, in which the categories of race, class, and nationality are initially decisive, can be considered hybrid in several ways. In his appropriation of black sexuality, the hipster, in a difficult and contradictory fashion, represents a non-hegemonic form of whiteness, also evident in his proximity to “white trash.” At the same time, the hipster expresses an intellectual and artistic sensibility that is not only socially but also territorially distinct from “white trash.” The hipster is a transatlantic figure and belongs to the European culture of “porno chic” as well. Whether the hipster style remains ineffective as a fashionable gesture or manages to destabilize normative masculinity ultimately depends on the question of sexuality. Unlike the hetero-hipster, the homo-hipster in Butt can once again realize the queer potential of the figure.
