‘I don’t get lucky, I make my own luck’: Masculinities and male bodies in the neo-liberal office space of Suits

Abstract

Suits’ evocation of masculinity within the neo-liberal office as a site of gender configuration is plural. Although its male protagonists all possess structural power as white, heterosexual, intelligent men (two are wealthy, and eventually the third comes to be), they each reflect varied and occasionally contrasting forms of masculinity. The article explores how, over the seasons, Suits progresses from breadth to depth, with its male characters threading their way through different types of masculine behaviours in order to succeed. In the face of recurrent challenges, their masculinities must be reconfigured. The article examines the manner in which the self becomes a locus of accountability to situate one’s problem-solving ability and subsequent empowerment through performing multiple masculinities.