Hybrid Masculinity as a Buffer against Threats to Masculinity

This study tests whether hybrid masculinities moderate the relationship between masculinity threat and masculine overcompensation. While the masculine overcompensation thesis is well established, it largely assumes a monolithic, hegemonic conception of masculinity. Drawing on theories of hybrid masculinities, which describe how men selectively incorporate subordinated gender traits to symbolically distance themselves from hegemonic norms, I suggest that some men may be less vulnerable to masculinity threats. Using an experimental design with a national sample of heterosexual men, participants were randomly assigned to receive masculinity-threatening or masculinity-affirming feedback. Masculine overcompensation was measured, and a novel measure of hybrid masculinity was developed and validated. Prior research on masculine overcompensation is replicated. Masculine overcompensation, however, is conditioned by the degree to which men endorse hybrid masculinities. This study contributes to social psychological and masculinity literature by demonstrating that masculine overcompensation is not universal but is moderated by men's hybrid masculinities as symbolic distancing strategies.