Аннотация:This essay examines the participation of men in physical activities deemed female. Biographical interviews of 14 professional male jazz and ballet dancers were conducted and analysed to determine the gender-socialization modes that allow men to develop a taste for female activities, and the socialization effects of being in a female world on the gender identity of male dancers. The data provide evidence of a reversed gender-socialization mode within specific family configurations, as found in women who play male sports. The professional socialization of male dancers in a female world is shown to produce specific effects on their gender identity. As 'feminist' men, they fight against being stigmatized as homosexual dancers by recognizing gender-related ways of dancing. In addition to this shared characteristic, two forms of gender identity were found, men who want to 'remain a man' and men who describe themselves as 'both feminine and masculine'.
