Bodies, Booze, and Bros: an Ethnographic Study of Masculinity at Las Vegas Beach and Day Clubs
Keywords:
Type:
TextAbstract
Beach and Day Clubs are popular alternatives to traditional nightclubs, as events occur in the daytime with the body on full display in swim attire. My research provides a significant contribution to the literature in masculinity due to the difficulty in gaining insider status to Las Vegas Beach and Day Clubs specifically. Drawing from participant observation and interviews over a six-year period, the findings reveal how they are a unique site of masculinity construction for men through the body, both outside and inside the venue. They also serve as places to reproduce gendered hierarchies and masculinities. The results additionally highlight the importance of homosociality and girl hunting in understanding group interaction among men, and the implications they have on those in these leisure spaces.
Downloads
References
Arxer, S. L. (2011). Hybrid masculine power: Reconceptualizing the relationship between homosociality and hegemonic masculinity. Humanity and Society, 35(4), 390–422. https://doi.org/10.1177/016059761103500404
Google Scholar CrossrefBerke, D.S., Leone, R., Parrott, D., & Gallagher, K.E. (2020). Drink, don’t think: The role of masculinity and thought suppression in men’s alcohol-related aggression. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(1), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000199
Google Scholar CrossrefBird, S. R. (1996). Welcome to the men’s club: Homosociality and the maintenance of hegemonic masculinity. Gender and Society, 10(2), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124396010002002
Google Scholar CrossrefBloksgaard, L., Christensen, A. D., Jensen, S. Q., Hansen, C. D., Kyed, M., & Nielsen, K. J. (2015). Masculinity ideals in a contemporary Danish context. NORA – Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 23(3), 152–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/08038740.2015.1046918
Google Scholar CrossrefBoirot, A. (2023). Beyond fun and excess: The social dynamics of party tourism. Journal of Festive Studies, 5(1), 150-166. https://doi.org/10.33823/jfs.2023.5.1.188
Google Scholar CrossrefBrouwers, S. S. (2010). A guy walks into a bar: Gender discriminatory pricing and admission policies in Las Vegas establishments. Nevada Law Journal, 11(1), 201.
Google Scholar CrossrefColosi, R. (2022). ‘I’m just with the guys and we’re having a laugh’: Exploring normative masculinity in a lap-dancing club setting, as a heteronormative space. Sexualities, 25(3), 222–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460720957205
Google Scholar CrossrefConnell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender and Society, 19(6), 829–859. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205278639
Google Scholar CrossrefCourtenay, W. H. (2000). Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men's well-being: a theory of gender and health. Social science & medicine, 50(10), 1385-1401. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00390-1
Google Scholar CrossrefCurrier, D. M. (2013). Strategic ambiguity: Protecting emphasized femininity and hegemonic masculinity in the hookup culture. Gender and Society, 27(5), 704–727. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243213493960
Google Scholar CrossrefDarcy, C. (2019). A psychoactive paradox of masculinities: cohesive and competitive relations between drug taking Irish men. Gender, Place & Culture, 27(2), 175–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2019.1609427
Google Scholar CrossrefDavis, S. E. (2018). Objectification, sexualization, and misrepresentation: Social media and the college experience. Social Media + Society, 4(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118786727
Google Scholar CrossrefDe Visser, R. O., & McDonnell, E. J. (2013). “Man points”: Masculine capital and young men's health. Health psychology, 32(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029045
Google Scholar CrossrefDemetriou, D. Z. (2001). Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique. Theory and Society, 30(3), 337–361. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017596718715
Google Scholar CrossrefDuncan, T., Roberts, S., Elliott, K., Ralph, B., Savic, M., & Robards, B. (2022). “Looking after yourself is self-respect”: the limits and possibilities of men’s care on a night out. Contemporary Drug Problems, 49(1), 46-63. https://doi.org/10.1177/00914509211057294
Google Scholar CrossrefFjær, E. G., Pedersen, W., & Sandberg, S. (2015). ‘I’m not one of those girls’: Boundary-work and the sexual double standard in a liberal hookup context. Gender and Society, 29(6), 960–981. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243215602107
Google Scholar CrossrefFlood, M. (2008). Men, sex, and homosociality: How bonds between men shape their sexual relations with women. Men and Masculinities, 10(3), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X06287761
Google Scholar CrossrefGagne, N. O. (2016). Feeling like a “man”: Managing gender, sexuality, and corporate life in after-hours Tokyo. In T. Zhang (Ed.), Cultural politics of gender and sexuality in contemporary Asia (pp. 74–91). University of Hawaii Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefGill, R., Henwood, K., & McLean, C. (2005). Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity. Body and Society, 11(1), 37–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034X05049849
Google Scholar CrossrefGrazian, D. (2007). The girl hunt: Urban nightlife and the performance of masculinity as collective activity. Symbolic Interaction, 30(2), 221–243. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2007.30.2.221
Google Scholar CrossrefHarder, S. K., & Demant, J. (2015). Failing masculinity at the club: A poststructural alternative to intoxication feminism. Substance Use and Misuse, 50(6), 759–767. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2015.978617
Google Scholar CrossrefHearn, J., de Boise, S., & Goedecke, K. (2023). Men and Masculinities: Structures, Practices, and Identities. The Palgrave Handbook of Power, Gender, and Psychology, 193-213.
Google Scholar CrossrefHennell, K., Limmer, M., & Piacentini, M. (2023). A ‘proper night out’: A practice theory exploration of gendered drinking. Sociological Research Online, 28(2), 355-372. https://doi.org/10.1177/13607804211055488
Google Scholar CrossrefJensen, W. (2023). The strength to diet: if it fits your macros dieting as masculine body work. Men and Masculinities, 26(3), 398-414. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X231156160
Google Scholar CrossrefKyler-Yano, J. Z., & Mankowski, E. S. (2020). What does it mean to be a real man? Asian American college men’s masculinity ideology. Psychology of Men and Masculinities, 21(4), 643–654. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000316
Google Scholar CrossrefLamont, E. (2015). The limited construction of an egalitarian masculinity: College-educated men’s dating and relationship narratives. Men and Masculinities, 18(3), 271–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X14557495
Google Scholar CrossrefLeone, R. M., Schipani-McLaughlin, A. M., Haikalis, M., & Parrott, D. J. (2020). The “white knight” effect: Benevolent sexism accounts for bystander intervention in party situations among high status men. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(4), 704-709. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000314
Google Scholar CrossrefLusher, D., & Robins, G. (2010). A social network analysis of hegemonic and other masculinities. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 18(1), 22-44. https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.1801.22
Google Scholar CrossrefMesserschmidt, J. W., Michael, M. A., Connell, R., & Martin, P. Y. (Eds.). (2018). Gender reckonings: New social theory and research. New York University Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefPetersen, M. A., Bogren, A., & Hunt, G. (2023). Ambiguous encounters: Young women’s expectations and experiences with intoxicated sexual relations in Danish nightlife. Young, 31(5), 517-535. https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088231179550
Google Scholar CrossrefRoberts, S., Ravn, S., Maloney, M., & Ralph, B. (2021). Navigating the tensions of normative masculinity: Homosocial dynamics in Australian young men’s discussions of sexting practices. Cultural Sociology, 15(1), 22–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1749975520925358
Google Scholar CrossrefSocial, W. (2023, July 1). Encore beach club frequently asked questions. Wynn Social. https://www.wynnsocial.com/faqs/
Google Scholar CrossrefSweeney, B. N. (2014a). Masculine status, sexual performance, and the sexual stigmatization of women. Symbolic Interaction, 37(3), 369–390. https://doi.org/10.1002/symb.113
Google Scholar CrossrefSweeney, B. N. (2014b). Party animals or responsible men: Social class, race, and masculinity on campus. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(6), 804–821. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2014.901578
Google Scholar CrossrefTao Group. (2022). Ticket Prices at Wet Republic (Palm Tree Beach Club) in 2022. https://events.taogroup.com/?venues=wetrepublic
Google Scholar CrossrefThompson, E. H., & Cracco, E. J. (2008). Sexual aggression in bars: What college men can normalize. Journal of Men’s Studies, 16(1), 82–96. https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.1601.82
Google Scholar CrossrefVito, C., Admire, A., & Hughes, E. (2018). Masculinity, aggrieved entitlement, and violence: considering the Isla Vista mass shooting. Norma, 13(2), 86-102. https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2017.1390658
Google Scholar CrossrefVaynman, M. J., Sandberg, S., & Pedersen, W. (2019). ‘Locker room talk’: male bonding and sexual degradation in drinking stories. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22(11), 1235–1252. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1670864
Google Scholar CrossrefWedgwood, N., Connell, R., & Wood, J. (2023). Deploying hegemonic masculinity: A study of uses of the concept in the journal Psychology of Men & Masculinities. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 24(2), 83. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000417
Google Scholar CrossrefWilkinson, S., & Wilkinson, C. (2020). Young men’s alcohol consumption experiences and performances of masculinity. International Journal on Drug Policy, 81, 102550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.08.007
Google Scholar CrossrefYeung, K.-T., Stombler, M., & Wharton, R. (2006). Making men in gay fraternities: Resisting and reproducing multiple dimensions of hegemonic masculinity. Gender and Society, 20(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205281267
Google Scholar CrossrefYuk-ha Tsang, E. (2020). Being bad to feel good: China’s migrant men, displaced masculinity, and the commercial sex industry. Journal of Contemporary China, 29(122), 221–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2019.1637563
Google Scholar CrossrefPublished
Metrics
Almetric
Dimensions
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Christopher Vito

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published under Creative Commons copyright (CC BY). Authors hold the copyright and retain publishing rights without restrictions, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles as the original source is cited.