TESLA'S EFFECT ON MASCULINITY
How does Tesla appeal to the masculine identity?
The real success behind Tesla’s brand is not the actual technology, it is the allure of the technology and its effects on the masculine identity. In his Huffington Post article, “Tesla's Chief Driver of Success: Masculinity,” author Markus Giesler argues that Tesla provides a solution to the age-old battle between man’s need to be a conventional breadwinner and his desire to become a modern rebel.
“Like John Wayne or Ronald Reagan, every American man tries to blend opposing breadwinner and rebel values into a man-of-action-hero who is larger than the sum of his parts.” -Markus Giesler in the Huffington Post
Tesla provides a perfect balance between these two facets of masculine identity by introducing the "Tesla Man."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk humorously dressed as Iron Man
“Almost like Iron Man, Tesla Man combines rugged individualism, entrepreneurial can-do spirit, and a seemingly unshakeable faith in markets and technology with a sensible care for nature, the planet, and future generations.”
To read more about Tesla’s effect on masculinity and the dichotomy between breadwinner and rebel, visit Markus Giesler’s article in the Huffington Post:
Male Entitlement and the "Space Race"
In addition to satisfying their conflicting male identities, Tesla also appeals to men by tapping into their inner child and promising exploration into the final frontier. During a press conference after the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket and a Tesla Roadster into space, Elon Musk childishly exclaimed, “Space races are exciting!”
The Tesla Roadster being tested before space launch.
In her NBC article, “The Patriarchal Race to Colonize Mars,” Marcie Bianco argues that this childlike fascination with space exploration is deeply patriarchal. Musk has openly stated that he wants humanity to be a “multi-planet species” and even wishes to “die on Mars.” According to Bianco, the desire to inhabit other planets is a form of 21st century imperialism and is completely reflective of male entitlement to power and ownership.
“The impulse to colonize — to colonize lands, to colonize peoples, and, now that we may soon be technologically capable of doing so, colonizing space — has its origins in gendered power structures. The presumed right to use and abuse something and then walk away to conquer and colonize something new.”
Click below to read Marcie Bianco's full article about male entitlement and Tesla's space exploration: