ABSTRACT
Men have been questioning gender stereotypes that establish what they should or should not consume. One example is the increase in the offer of services for the audience at new barbershops. This study aims to analyze how masculinities are constructed, administrated, and negotiated in barbershops. Participant observations were conducted in barbershops as the method and 17 consumers and market agents were interviewed. The study's findings suggest that the symbolic meanings of what it is to be masculine emerge in a dialectic process among consumers, market agents, and barbershops. These symbolic meanings are used to actively build and negotiate their masculinities. This process takes place in three ways: i) differentiation from the female world; ii) a space for relaxation and wellbeing; and iii) a space for men to socialize. The study also presents the academic and managerial implications of the findings.
KEYWORDS
Consumption; barbershops; masculinities; identity; gender