Postfeminism
The rise of the new lad coincided with a backlash against feminism by both men and women, and in particular against the figure of the new man as "one who has subjugated his masculinity in order to fulfill the needs of women...this passive and insipid image". At a time when "the stereotypes for men attentive to feminism were three: Eunuch, Beast, or slag", – and when women were increasingly feeling that "no men are fine in the kitchen, but who wants them tidying in the bedroom?" – the "new lad" image offered "a space of fun, consumption and sexual freedom for men", as well as "a refuge from the constraints and demands of marriage and nuclear family".
Contrasting the two gender constructs, Tim Edwards, a sociologist at the University of Leicester, describes the new man as pro-feminist, albeit narcissistic, and the new lad as pre-feminist, and a reaction to second-wave feminism. The new man image failed to appeal to a wide readership whereas the more adolescent Lad culture appeals more to the ordinary man, says Edwards. Social constraints also meant that "it is easier to be a lad rather than a new man in most workplaces".
However, Edwards also points out that lad culture men's magazines of the 21st century contain little that is actually new. Noting a study of the history of Esquire, he observes that there is little substantial different between the new man Arena and GQ and the new lad Loaded et al. Both address assumed men's interests of cars, alcohol, sport, and women, and differ largely in that the latter have a more visual style. From this he infers that "the New Man and the New Lad are niches in the market more than anything else, often defined according to an array of lifestyle accessories", and concludes that the new lad image dominates the new man image simply because of its greater success at garnering advertising revenue for men's magazines.
Arguably at least, the lad has been succeeded in the 21st century by the postfeminist man. "On the one hand, the 'postfeminist man' accommodates backlash scripts – drawing upon characteristics of the 'new lad'. On the other hand, he is more self-aware...could be described as the 'new lad' grown up or a less sensitive 'new man'...a melting-pot of masculinities still negotiating the ongoing impact of feminism on his identity".
Read more about this topic: Lad Culture