Masculinity, Sherlock’s utility and an overwhelmingly female fandom
I’ve heard fans lament that Sherlock feels that he has no intrinsic worth to people, that he is only valued for his utility. This is treated as a sad part of his psychology and something unique to his character. I think there’s a blind spot for a mostly female fandom, here, though. In contemporary ideas of masculinity utility is the only kind of male self-worth to be had. Men matter because of what they do, not who they are. In fact, who they are is what they do. Men are defined by their work, aka their utility. Not just Sherlock, but also John, Greg, Mycroft, etc. This is not a trait that’s unique to our title character but I believe is a manifestation of what it means to be a man.
In a fandom made up mostly of women, I think that we have a blind spot to what men take for granted about the idea of, ‘being a man’. I think that the idea that we’re only as valuable as we are useful seems like a sad character flaw, something to be overcome. But, I think men instinctively know that whether right or wrong this is the lot of men. This is the whole of manhood. To have no utility is to, unfortunately, not be a man.
Now, I am by no means supporting this idea of what it means to be a man. I’m just saying that this isn't particular to Sherlock but actually at the very core of the idea of what it means to be a man.