The pornified presidency: hyper-masculinity and the pornographic style in U.S. political rhetoric

ABSTRACT

Donald Trump’s success in the 2016 election, despite allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment, raises questions about how he survived the type of political scandal that traditionally sinks a campaign. We argue that Trump and his behavior were largely framed in a pornographic light, forming an image that emphasized the hypermasculine nature of the U.S. presidency. We suggest that while women candidates are contained and disadvantaged by the pornification frame, some men may benefit from appearing sexist but dominant, disgusting but authentic, and authorized to violate taboos.

KEYWORDS:

• Donald Trump
• pornification
• hypermasculinity
• authenticity
• pornified president

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ryan Neville-Shepard

Ryan Neville-Shepard is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Arkansas. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. E-mail: [email protected]

Meredith Neville-Shepard

Meredith Neville-Shepard is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. E-mail: [email protected]