The May 4th episode of WWE Smackdown featured a backstage photo shoot of new star, Antonio Cesaro (a.k.a. Claudio Castangnoli.) Whew, I’d say Claudio’s been working out!
He’s presented here as the epitome of manliness — a slab of pure beefcake, powerful and confident with Aksana hanging on him, craving him, and petting his ripped body. A photographer documents that inspiring torso to be posted on the website or in a magazine.
Eve is the General Manager (Head Bitch in Charge) watching the photo shoot. She decides that Antonio’s body would look better wet, so she orders Teddy Long to rub oil on him. For just a moment, Teddy refuses to touch another man, but he soon surrenders to the dominant female and begins slathering oil on Antonio’s back and chest. Totally degrading, right? Why in the hell would Teddy agree to this degradation??
The scenario presents “Forced Feminization” of Teddy Long. Forced Feminization is a common fetish involving a bondage relationship where the male subject is “forced” to act or dress like a woman. Usually, he pretends that what’s happening to him is against his will, but his protest is superficial and he’s really a very willing (and excited) participant. Note that Teddy Long surrendered to Eve’s demands rather quickly…
A good percentage of men seem to enjoy and crave the role reversal, loss of power, and humiliation that comes from being forced to act like a woman. In many cases, “forced” feminization helps a male deal with bisexual urges without “coming out.” He can avoid feelings of Gay Panic by rationalizing that he was made to act like a sissy against his will.
Being forced to service Antonio places Teddy Long in a relatively feminine role. He is seen as identical to Aksana — both are shown with their hands rubbing Antonio’s superior body. You can see this provocative scene on YouTube if you missed Smackdown. Just as the original Eve tempted Adam to bite the apple, so too has this Eve tempted Teddy Long to feel up a real man’s body and risk opening his eyes to new pleasures. Antonio’s last name of Cesaro, or “Caesar”, makes us think of him as a “king” in the power position, waiting for his servant to oil up his body.
Many wrestling fans, Bloggers, and commentators have mentioned how uncomfortable and disgusted they felt by watching this scene. What is the source of this intense disgust? Male massage therapists, coaches, doctors, and sports trainers routinely touch their male clients as part of their job duties and nobody is grossed out or disgusted. You can’t catch “the gay” by touching another guy.
I believe the outraged Bloggers are protesting too strongly. Perhaps their over-stated disgust over Teddy’s lube job stems from their own internal fascination with Feminization which they outwardly reject but internally crave. After all, aren’t most homophobes actually closeted homosexuals?
Many scenes in pro wrestling involve the Forced Feminization of the victim. Defeat at the hands of a sissy, a kick to the balls, a humiliating pinning position all serve to sissify the jobber.
The fact that so many men tune in to watch big, strong wrestlers reduced to bitch status just proves that Forced Feminization is a very common source of excitement.
In the end, pro wrestling still celebrates the strength of males and masculinity, even when Forced Feminization is depicted. When a man participates in Forced Feminization, his feminine role is meant to feel humiliating to him, a loss of status as if he’s fallen from grace by become a — god forbid — a female.
If the ultimate insult and disgrace is to be feminized, to be treated as a woman, then aren’t we claiming that it’s far better to be a man? Pro wrestling continues to celebrate manhood by depicting the losers in female positions.
To some degree, Forced Feminization trivializes the plight and degradation experienced by women, and actually serves to empower the Feminized Male because he is allowed to play around in the female role for fun and excitement while still maintaining his preferable male status when play-time is over.
When watching pro wrestling and seeing so many jobbers placed in the subservient, feminine role, you’ve gotta wonder how “Forced” really is their Feminization. We can rationalize that the jobber was out-wrestled by a stronger man, or that he is paid by the promoters to act weak and helpless. But another way to read the beaten man’s submissive antics is that he, too, is into Forced Feminization like so many other men. He is a willing participant whose protests are only superficial. After all, nobody forced him to wear pink panties into the ring…
this is an exciting, thread for me…. very intriguing to me!
“Forced Feminization” is SOOOOO HOTTTTT! Despite the realization that BOTH wrestlers are following the well-rehearsed, “scripted’ match choreography, it doesn’t take a human body language expert to clearly read how much of what’s going on inside the ring is simple choreography, and how much is innate, testosterone-driven, homosexual urge. When the “Feminized” wrestler ends up being sexually humiliated by riding the top rope, being “poled”, or trapped in a “TREE OF WOE” and having his exposed groin crushed repeatedly by the knee and/or boot of his opponent, until he falls limp to the ring surface, how many extra seconds of ball crushing torture have been added to the choreography in order to stimulate the fans…AND each other! And it isn’t only the wrestlers who play up the whole “Forced Feminization” angle; the ringside cameramen are also key players. It’s an all out, man-on man orgy masquerading as sports entertainment…and all I can I say is,” Keep it up, boys!”