Final Project

ATTITUDES

My project for this intervention focuses on the topic of toxic masculinity. This term usually refers to the harmful behaviors and toxic attitudes that are associated with traditional customs of masculinity. This causes aggression and even emotional suppression Men have too much of an ego that anything can harm it which is very toxic as we have to break out of the cycle.

 My message to the audience would have to be how the ideas that society has constructed are not real and just toxic. The roots of toxic masculinity goes back into historical times with cultural norms and gender roles. The traditional concept of masculinity has damaged the mindset of men. Men have certain standards that they have to live up to such as the saying “Be a Man”, or “Boys don’t cry ''. These ideas have been reinforced into our heads so many times that it is considered to be normal. It has been reinforced on social media, education, religion and even. family structure. This is shaped into the heads of men from a very young age.

For my project I was able to post it on social media and I spread my project with my friends to see if they would also agree with what I had to say. Some of their reactions were expected. For example my friend comes from a very traditional hispanic household where women are trained to be on their hand and foot for us men. So I was not surprised when my friend disagreed with my project. But at the same time it is no excuse as one should inform themselves or go as at least try to break the norms.

Toxic masculinity affects people and society a lot. It can make men have more mental health problems like depression and anxiety. Men may also use more drugs because of it. Men feel they must act tough and not show their feelings. This makes it hard for them to have real, close friendships. They might not share their feelings or connect well with others. Toxic masculinity also causes more violence and fighting.

 Some artists that I got inspired from were such as Grayson Perry, The Guerrilla Girls, Jackson Katz, and Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Grayson Perry was a contemporary artist who was known for his exploration of gender identity, masculinity, and social norms. The Guerrilla Girls who were anonymous feminist artists who were known for their provocative posters also addressed the issues of gender inequality.

From the texts I was able to connect my project into our readings. “Artists develop their creative processes throughout their entire career. Artistic activists are no different. This is a lifelong journey we are on.” (Chapter 2, pg 83) Artistic activists grow and enhance their strategies for participating in activism over time, just like artists do with their methods and approaches to their job. “We’ll start with Culture, or what we usually call “art.” Art is powerful. It’s a way we can express our understandings of the world as it is, and articulate our visions for how it could be.” (Chapter 4, pg. 137) The statement suggests how culture is deeply involved within art as it practices the beliefs, customs, and values shared by a society. “Our sense of possibility is limited by what we can imagine, and our imaginations are bound by the culture within which we imagine. This is why it is so hard to imagine anything entirely new.” (Chapter 4, pg.146) The remark suggests that it is difficult to imagine really innovative thoughts or possibilities when one is bound by cultural limits. It necessitates going beyond the comfortable and challenging accepted beliefs and conventions

The Art of Activism - Steve Duncombe + Steve Lambert

Understanding Patriarchy - Bell Hooks

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-toxic-masculinity-5075107

 https://psychcentral.com/health/toxic-masculinity

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/toxic-masculinit