The cowboy is undoubtedly one of the most iconic masculine symbols of the 20th century. Film, television, and music present the cowboy figure in many forms and styles continuously attracting audiences with voyeuristic interest, erotic fantasy, and physical desire. Media has shaped the cowboy image into both a symbol that is idolized, sexualized, and fantasized over in sexual performance spaces. These archives offer unforgettable examples of “the good, the bad, and the sexy” cowboy. As a result of such representations, the cowboy has become one of the most popular characters performed in the male strip show.
AlphinK.RichJ. (2004). Save a horse (ride a cowboy). On Horse of a different color [CD]. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros Records.
2.
Bon JoviJ. (1990). Blaze of glory. On Blaze of glory [CD]. London, England: Vertigo.
3.
Bon JoviJ.SamboraR. (1986). Wanted dead or alive [Recorded by Jon Bon Jovi]. On Slippery when wet [CD]. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Mercury.
4.
Bradley-EngenM. S. (2009). Naked lives: Inside the worlds of erotic dance. Albany: State University of New York Press.
5.
BruceE.BruceP. (1975). Mammas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys [Recorded by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson]. On Waylon & Willie [CD]. New York, NY: RCA Records. (1978)
6.
ColeP. (1997). Where have all the cowboys gone? On This fire [CD]. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros Records. (1995)
7.
EganR. D. (2006). Resistance under the black light: Exploring the use of music in two exotic dance clubs. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35, 201-219.
8.
FrankK.CarnesM. (2010). Gender and space in strip clubs. In WeitzerR. (Ed.), Sex for sale: Prostitution, pornography and the sex industry (pp. 115-137). New York, NY: Routledge.
9.
GrimaldiA. (Producer), & LeoneS. (Director). (1966). The good, the bad and the ugly. Italy: United Artists.
10.
Liepe-LevinsonK. (2002). Strip show: Performance of gender and desire. New York, NY: Routledge.
11.
MajorS.LumpkinE.MosleyT. (1996). Pony [Recorded by Ginuwine]. On Ginuwine . . . the bachelor [CD]. New York, NY: 550/Epic.
12.
PriceK. (2008). Keeping the dancers in check: The gendered organization of stripping in the lion’s den. Gender & Society, 22, 367-389.
