The Big Bad Wolf: Masculinity and Genetics in Popular Culture

This essay examines the role of evolutionary psychology in shaping the popular understanding of genetics and human behavior. Evolutionary psychology draws heavily on comparisons to other social mammals to speculate on the underlying biological bases of human social behavior. Although the discipline's relationship to genetic science is tangential, evolutionary psychology has heavily influenced popular ideas of genetics. We can see this best in depictions of wolves and men, most specifically in examples that embody both: the alpha male and the werewolf. Tracking this wolf-man through multiple genres—from werewolf films to dog-training manuals and supernatural romances—reveals a dramatic shift over the past several decades in the understanding of predatory male behavior: what once was seen as villainous has become sexy. Genes have been marshaled as a justification for embracing predatory sexuality and ruthless competition as a model of healthy, attractive masculinity.