Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is facing criticism for comments he made at the MTV Music Awards earlier this week. The former wrestler quipped that back in days of yore he looked like “a buff lesbian.”
This led Seth Rogan to doing his best impression of the look in question:
“Dammit,” The Rock replied, “and yet you pull it off looking cool and I still look like a buff lesbian.”
The comments raised the ire of Slate’s Christina Cauterucci, who scolded him in a lengthy column that we read voraciously in its entirety.
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What makes the Rock resemble his notion of a buff lesbian in this photo? Is it his neatly plucked eyebrows? His severe-yet-soft puff of curls? His stonewashed jeans hiked up to to the waist? It’s all of those things taken together that, the Rock implies, makes him look like a too-feminine man or a too-masculine woman. On social media, the Rock has sexualized women who imitate the photo, calling them “hot” and “smokin’,” conspicuously foregrounding his manly desires. The Rock says men who duplicate the his outfit are “confident,” “bad ass,” or “looking cool,” while the Rock himself looks like a mere buff lesbian. He’s using a classic middle-school bullying tactic: defending an imagined slight against his own masculinity by insulting a more marginalized group of people (lesbians) and delegitimizing the masculinity of others (butch lesbians).
People flocked to social media to either deride or applaud the joke, or just be barely coherent or whatevs:
OMG @TheRock, you totally look like a buff, butch #lesbian — no wonder all us lesbians love you! #DeepLez SWOON https://t.co/PT1G9ckusF
— Marcie Bianco (@MarcieBianco) April 11, 2016
@TheRock @Sethrogen @Blabbeando Buff lesbian lunch ladies are hot. But actually I don’t think that’s what you look like, sorry.
— Shannon LC Cate (@lilysea) April 11, 2016
@TheRock @probablyboku @Sethrogen @MTV COULD YOU NOT CALL YOURSELF A BUFF LESBIAN BUFF LADY OH MY LORRRRDDD IM DEAD LMMFFAOOO ??????
— Sky Williams (@SkyWilliams) April 11, 2016
In case you weren’t sure about how unsettling The Rock is, his comment about “buff lesbian[s]” should help you decide #MTVMovieAwards
— Sarah Bicknell (@sarah_bicknell) April 11, 2016
If @TheRock looks like a buff lesbian I’m changing teams ? team lesbian from today?? https://t.co/YTIIjK6zDy
— ☆LeGaLlY ReIgNs♤ (@stephni_tanisha) April 10, 2016
I am a lesbian but seriously, @TheRock is the only man I’d ever consider marrying. ?
— Elli (@ebamille) February 21, 2016
So… what do you think? As always, we eagerly await your comments below.
h/t: Pink News
