The Wolf of Wall Street: Masculinities in the Western Business World

  

 The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the most iconic movies of the 21st Century. However, it is filled with misogyny, toxic masculinity, and tons of sex (perhaps that's why people love it). The main premise of the film is businessman Jordon Belford's quest to become the most powerful, successful, rich, “macho man” he can be. The more women Jordan has sex with, the more other men desire to be him. The more money he makes, the more women want to sleep with him. Of course, this movie is dramatized and is full of exaggerations – yet many young men admire the character of Jordan Belford – they want to be him. The picture above depicts an office party scene celebrating the success of the company; Jordan brings in hundreds of strippers and a marching band to the office. This scene, among many others, emphasizes the male-dominated culture in the business world; one focused on sex, masculinity, and dominating women. You can clearly see in the image the businessmen celebrating a cheering at half-naked women in the office -- exploring these women's bodies to confirm their own masculinities. Clearly, Jordon Belford’s office is not a place where businesswomen fit in, and I do not believe this is just a phenomenon in the movie. Hoang’s article, “Flirting with Capital: Negotiating Perceptions of Pan-Asian Ascendency and Western Decline in Global Sex Work,” discusses how Vietnam's global sex industry affirms Western masculinities in businessmen (Hoang also discusses Western budget tourists, Western transnational businessmen, Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) men, and wealthy local Vietnamese entrepreneurs. This post is specifically examining the Western businessman aspect of her research.) Although Hoang’s research is based in Vietnam, much is learned about the Western business culture through her study. The business world is a male-centric space where women are not only outsiders but often merely sex objects. Hoang’s theory further discusses that Western businessmen can construct themselves as men with varying degrees of success. Although Hoang applies this theory culturally (because the Westerners are foreigners, they can fabricate and use cultural tools to boost their masculinity and success), this can be applied on Western soil. Jordan Belford, even when bankrupt at the end of the movie, still constructs himself as extremely masculine and successful. He continued to cheat on his wife, have sex with strippers, and throw lavish parties. Western business culture is toxic: it is filled with hyper-masculinity, the objectification of women, and the emphasis on sex as a reward for “success.”