Trunk Show — Part 1

Have you ever noticed that many pro wrestlers, once they’re in control of a match, will confidently spread apart their legs?  Sometimes I wonder if this Spread Eagle pose simply offers extra leverage needed to maintain the upper hand, or if these show-offs are deliberately sending a message to the viewers: “Feast your eyes on THIS!”

The typical pair of modern wrestling trunks, with bright colors and clingy fabric, already draws the viewers’ attention to below the belt.  The wrestler who opens wide only highlights this effect.  There must be a demand for this service among wrestling fans considering how common the “Spread Eagle” pose has become in the pro wrestling ring.

For males of the human and ape species, the crotch display is a sign of virility and sexual dominance.  When a dude (or gorilla) is trolling for a mate or trying to impress, he’ll stand with his legs spread wide apart, or point his groin toward a potential mate to send a message of love.

The displaying male believes placing the object of desire between his spread legs will communicate ownership and encourage submission.  This posing is subliminal (or not so subliminal) advertising.

A man also stakes his claim to physical space by spreading out, by becoming larger and covering as much of the Twister Board as possible, thereby owning the territory.  Alpha Male types will often sit with legs wide open to notify the other men in the pack that they deserve — and will fight for — as much real estate as they can grab.  A dominating wrestler will convey this message as well by covering as much of the mat as possible, standing or sitting with legs wide apart to show he is “King of the Mountain.”

When the suffering Baby-Face is particularly attractive, you may notice that the dominant Heel will sexualize his wrestling holds using his legs.  He will position the opponent’s head or body between his legs.   He’ll toss a leg over the man’s neck, or straddle his back, or stand above him with the other man’s face at belt level.  A man owns anything he can get between his legs.

One website describes the effects of the exposed crotch position this way: “Dominant men will often expose their crotch, effectively saying to other men ‘I am safe from attack’ or ‘my penis is bigger than yours’, whilst showing off.  They may also be offering ‘come and get it!’ to women.”

When the camera is placed in the submissive position between the wrestler’s legs, the “Come and get it” message is sent to the entire viewing audience.  The viewer watching the match on television is placed in the sexually submissive role and is bested psychologically.  The viewer is forced to play jobber to the cocky, spread-eagled, dominant wrestler.  And many viewers seem to enjoy it.

Clearly it is mostly men who watch pro wrestling.  As we’ve discussed before, pro wrestlers are victims of the Male Gaze, which objectifies and seizes control of what it sees.  The object of the Male Gaze is violated (or visually raped) — either possessed and owned, or disposed of.

But the spread-eagle pose allows the wrestler to turn the tables on the Male Gaze, to force the camera (i.e., the voyeur’s face) into the submissive position between his legs.  He is dominating not only the jobber in the ring, but also the viewers who are made to focus on his crotch.

A wrestler’s crotch display can therefore be interpreted in contradictory ways — he is asserting confidence and domination in the ring, and at the same time, submitting to objectification and scrutiny of the audience.  He is willingly permitting himself to be used by us — the voyeurs — while also dominating us (paying us back) by forcing his crotch in our faces.