Abstract: | Yogyakarta’s ‘wild’ guides are young men who pursue fantasies of true love and easy wealth by striking up ‘love affairs’ with tourist women. A hegemonic masculinity emerges as male peergroup gossip evaluates dramatic incidents to pinpoint ideal male withmale image and behaviour. In romances with Western women, guides renegotiate the sexual aspect of their masculinity, as tourist women’s holidayromance expectations of attentiveness and deference collide with this ideal masculine selfimage. The tension between disgust and desire within guides’ lifestyle leads to fragmented performances of identity for their different audiences. |