^aFaculty of Education and Society, Media Centre, University of Sunderland, St Peter's Campus, Sunderland SR6 0DD, UK. E-mail: angela.smith@sunderland.ac.uk

Abstract

The idea of male politicians appealing to voters by using details of their private lives is nothing new. What this paper will argue, however, is that the idea of male politicians presenting their experiences of fatherhood as a vote-winning strategy in an attempt to prove they are more sympathetic characters is one that has strong links with recent developments in constructions of masculinities. These developments allow men to present themselves as people who embrace the aims of second-wave feminism and accept domestic roles such as childcare responsibilities, which have traditionally been seen as feminine roles. This links with a political media culture where politicians are required to convey their life experiences as part of an increasing focus on the celebrity and wider personalisation of the media. In the case of Gordon Brown, however, we will see how such developments appear to have been rejected by him as he insists on the maintenance of his young family's privacy. In so doing, we will see that he is distancing himself from his predecessor at Number 10 in terms of his persona.