I am a Masters by research student at York St John University. My research focusses primarily on the areas of 1980s Hollywood cinema, Masculinity theory and Stardom studies, however I also have interests in American independent cinema, Documentary film and Tv, Transnational cinema and Hollywood cinema’s portrayal of urban and suburban America.

Since completing my BA in Film and Media studies at YSJ in 2018, where my dissertation focussed on yuppie culture of 1980s Hollywood cinema, I discovered my further interest in 1980s American cinema and society. My thesis for my MA, titled Hollywood Masculinities: Themes, Bodies, and Ideologies in 1980s Hybrid Action Cinema, aims to explore the variations of masculinities present within films such as Lethal Weapon (1987), Beverley Hills Cop (1984) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Exploring how these films, which primarily reside within the action genre, hybridise with such genres as comedy, sci-fi, drama and thriller, are inextricably bound up together with the socio-political context of the decade.

My thesis aims to explore how such stars as Eddie Murphy, Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis acted for America, reiterating masculinity in both a hyper and hypo sense. Hypomasculinity, I believe, is a strand of originality to my thesis. The lack of exploration for Hypomasculinity further demonstrates a critical void that necessitates a wider exploration of 1980s Hollywood masculinities. I would argue that, given the current interest in Hollywood’s culture of toxic masculinity, and problematic hyper-masculine behaviours, it has never been more important to critically engage with the decade that did most to establish a number of the approaches to men and masculinity that directly inform our contemporary moment.

Aidan Dolby

Find Aidan on Twitter here: @AidanDolby