The Evolution of Menswear and Masculinity in Modern Criminal Narratives: Investigating <em>Suburra</em> and <em>Mare Fuori</em>

Marta Martina; Lucia Tralli

doi:10.6092/issn.2611-0563/19475

Authors

Marta Martina Istituto Marangoni di Milano

She is a researcher and a lecturer at Istituto Marangoni of Milan. She is interested in the dynamic interrelations between fashion, media, and society. Martina is also the Head of Multimedia Projects for Nuova Libra Publishing House for the textile industry sector. Her work is at the core of trend forecasting and media studies, where she designs new projects that can manage the rapid evolution of fashion culture within the social and media environment. Her practice combines in-depth academic analysis with industrial practices to garner a comprehensive and current approach.
Lucia Tralli The American University of Rome

She is a gender and media studies scholar. Her primary research focuses are grassroots media practices, popular culture, celebrity culture, bisexual representation, and intersectionality in the media. She has published papers and chapters on fandom, media, and gender in several international academic journals and books, and her first book on fan vidding as a gendered practice, Vidding Grrls. Nuovi sguardi sulle pratiche di genere nei fandom, was published in 2021 by Meltemi. She is an Adjunct Professor at The American University of Rome, where she teaches, amongst other courses, Media and Gender and Introduction to Visual Culture. She also teaches Gender Studies at Polimoda - International Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing in Florence.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0563/19475

Keywords:

Maximalism, Streetwear, Criminal Genre , Masculinity, Youth Culture

Abstract

In examining the dynamic interplay of maximalism and streetwear within the criminal genre, our analysis of Suburra and Mare Fuori uncovers a transformative phase that challenges conventional sartorial narratives, introducing a new lexicon of masculinity. These series, emblematic of youth and excess, reflect a societal evolution towards a multifaceted expression of male identity and power.

Through this prism, the narratives not only subvert traditional aesthetic norms of the classical depictions in gangster cinema, but also foster a profound engagement with contemporary viewers. Our discourse, after a first reconstruction of the historical characteristics of the genre, navigates through the nuanced terrain of contemporary maximalism, distancing itself from the misinterpretations associated with “bad taste”, to celebrate a composite aesthetic that defies classical taste paradigms. This stylistic approach champions an eclectic freedom that elevates maximalism to a form of narrative and identity expression. In summation, this exploration not only reconfigures established narratives of style, masculinity, and authority but also posits a reimagined conceptualization of excess that synergizes cultural and social capital, heralding a new era in the criminal genre characterized by complexity, vibrancy, and excess.

References

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The Evolution of Menswear and Masculinity in Modern Criminal Narratives: Investigating Suburra and Mare Fuori

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