I photographed men who are confined to narrow definitions of what it looks like to be masculine by their generation, culture, or family. The idea of masculinity is something I have found many men feel oppressed by. Emotions in particular are something heavily regulated among men who carry the pressure to remain strong and provide for those around them. I chose to photograph men and boys with the two emotions they are "allowed" to feel. Happiness and anger are comfortable for society to witness men expressing, so much so, some are pushed into boxes that encourage suppression and aggression.
The gentleman featured above is currently struggling to remain strong in the face of his wife of 60 years falling ill from dementia. For him, expressing sadness over losing his best friend has been an extremely vulnerable process in which he feels as though he is failing his spouse as her protector, a heavy role he has carried with him since they met.
The second young boy featured has been influenced my many different men who share a machismo ideology. This "macho" influence is something he fights against as he becomes a young man who is learning to feel and express himself and his emotion in a vulnerable way; something that would have been frowned upon by others in his past.
Saez, Pedro A., et al. "Factors influencing masculinity ideology among Latino men." The Journal of Men's
Studies, vol. 17, no. 2, spring 2009, pp. 116+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A204073659/AONE?u=calstate&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=630e123e. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.
Pérez-Martínez, Vanesa, et al. "Evaluation of the lights4violence program: reduction in machismo and acceptance of violence among adolescents in Europe." BMC Public Health, vol. 22, no. 1, 3 Mar. 2022, p. NA. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A699497341/AONE?u=calstate&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=f50d88ea. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.
No comments:
Post a Comment