This picture of Kanye West alongside Taz Arnold (in the green coat) and other fashion designers, taken at the Paris Fashion Week this February, brought out a great deal of conversation in the rap world and the media about West's masculinity.  Like these conversations usually do, it centered that discussion on sexuality.  Julian Benbow, in an article on the subject, does a nice job of pinpointing the two issues, saying that "West is forcing people to rethink their ideas about masculinity and homosexuality."

That's a very good thing -- but just how that conversation is playing out is worth a closer look.  The conversation about West's masculinity is rooted in very typical anxieties about what it "means" to be a man.  Do men wear pink?  Do they worry about fashion?  Do they sing instead of rap?  Do they hang out with other men who worry about these things?

All these questions hinge on the anxiety that West might be acting more like a woman than a man.  The strong cultural associations between things like clothing, appearance, and emotion with feminine behavior make them sources of anxiety when shown by men.  As theorists and writers on gender have shown, these associations are illusions and propped up by people who want to feel safe within clear boundaries between what it means to be a man and a woman.  West's interest in these areas has disrupted those boundaries and made some people uncomfortable.

His latest album, "808s & Heartbreak," features a great deal of singing instead of rapping, songs about emotion, and visuals that stray from the usual assortment of stereotypes and cliches about women.

One of those uncomfortable people is 50 Cent, who brought up the topic in a recent interview.  And that brings us to the real heart of the discussion: West's sexuality.  All these concerns about West's masculinity seem to lead right to the anxiety that all these interests in "feminine" things must mean that West is gay.  Even though, as a culture, we've progressed a long way from such stereotypes, this knee-jerk response still exists, and immediately becomes the point of the discussion.

What seems to be evident in the conversation is the need to defend West's masculinity by denying any association with homosexuality.  50 Cent calls him "sensitive" but not gay, Benbow makes sure to point out in the third paragraph that "West is not gay," and West himself has given several interviews where he makes absolutely certain to identify himself as straight.  Taz Arnold, the man at the center of the controversy in the Paris pictures, is extremely vocal in his efforts to prove his heterosexuality.

What's happening here is complicated.  On the one hand, it's unfair to have to force West to have to discuss his sexuality at all.  It's understandable that he would want to be in control of his own identity and clear up the incessant media talk about him.  On the other hand, though, it's a little sad to see the way the discussion is playing out.  Rather than reversing the conversation and showing that masculinity is not defined by heterosexuality, what seems to be happening is a widening of the boundaries.

Being a "real man" then, can now involve fashionable images of hearts, displays of emotion, an interest in style, and a new understanding of how culture dictates heterosexuality.  What doesn't appear anywhere in these conversations is that being a "real man" can also mean being gay.  As exciting as it is to see West breaking down so many barriers and opening up new avenues of creativity and expression, it shows how just how connected masculinity still is to heterosexuality.  How should West navigate these issues?  How should progressive men interested in rethinking masculinity contribute to this discussion?  How can we disconnect sexuality from masculinity without losing it as a key marker of identity?  These are all important questions to consider as we watch the conversation around West continue.

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Peter Alilunas is a graduate student at the University of Michigan where he studies masculinity in film and television.  He loves Taz Arnold's Cheetah pants.  He blogs at manvertised.com.