From Alien to Alpha Male. Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders and the Role of Fashion in Hegemonic Masculine Performance

Cillian Murphy's career offers ideal ground to study the role played by fashion in the construction of male stardom. In terms of gender performance his career appears to be split in two, with the role of gangster Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders acting as a watershed. Prior to this role, Murphy's star image is characterized by a tendency to break traditional male canons by portraying androgynous, liminal characters. By contrast, Peaky Blinders makes him an icon of conservative masculinity, with dominant and stoic traits close to the hegemonic model. This transformation is closely tied to the sartorial aspect of the series, which sees Shelby and his gang display a classic elegance associated with aggressive, dominant, and success-driven masculinity. This dimension is also central to the mechanisms of appropriation enacted by the audience, inspiring fashion trends that denote the ability to influence an aspect of consumption crucial to male gender expression. Simultaneously, Murphy's "tailored" image in Peaky Blinders populates conservative and misogynistic online spaces such as the Sigma Male Grindset, testifying to the radical change underwent by the actor’s image with regards to gender performance.