Artwork size 180 x 120cm (70.8' x 47.2') SOLD
Man, I Am.
Modern day masculinity is a far cry from what it was in our shady and not so distant past. Since many women of the western world stopped being treated as house-slaves and instead were granted access to higher education and a broad range of new occupations such as law and medicine, they’ve claimed back their power and flooded every inch of the workforce, working jobs equally along-side any man, and they’ve become empowered. It’s crazy to say that this shift only took place in the 19th-20thcenturies and up until new laws and legislations were placed in 2008, women were still paid unequally less than men and were mostly permitted to work lesser positions. In some parts of Western Europe and other third world societies, religion’s and cultural belief’s keep them living in what is considered by many to be the stone age.
It’s no wonder women have stepped into their masculinity through self-help workshop’s and self-empowerment, while many of the men of today have taken their position as ‘the masculine’ for granted. We as men have assumed this as our position, purely because we have dicks, without actually considering what it is to play that role in today’s society. Women have swarmed to self-help workshops, yoga classes, spiritual teachers and meditative practices in an effort to ‘catch up’ to the men but in doing so, many women have far exceeded a typical rate of personal growth, and us men are being left behind because we’re too fucking arrogant, or lazy, or completely unaware that this has happened, and is happening. Don’t get me wrong, I consider this a beautiful thing because men are being forced to better themselves in every way, to better understand the mind, to better understand women and we’re finding spirituality as a catalyst for significant advancement, not just as men but as humans. We as men, need to wake the fuck up and get over the idea that just because we might have a deeper voice, or bigger muscles, or a cock – that we’re somehow initialled to play a role of power. To say that we’ve been weakened, is a massive contradiction because most men of today have never actually been strong… Many men of today are hiding behind big muscles, big bank accounts or monstrous egos, doing everything they can to show no weakness, to look perfect and the reality is that their chasing a rainbow, their searching for power in all the wrong places, because they’re never looking within.
So, what does modern day masculinity look like? Generally speaking, it looks and feels and sounds like love. It’s no more bullshit, it means expressing our feelings, it’s open and honest communication, it’s doing the dishes and cooking, it’s crying in rom-com’s and being comfortable with that, it’s appreciating nature, it’s appreciating art and taking ownership of our decisions, no matter what the outcome. It’s about working smarter rather than harder so that we have more time at home with the people we love… At the same time, it’s a collaboration of the old-school traits, like supporting and protecting our families, honouring our women and it’s about becoming an inspiring, loving and graceful father… Fuck all that macho bullshit, we need to WAKE. THE. FUCK. UP! and discover what it looks like to be a man, before we can claim to be the masculine. This is ‘Man, I Am.’
Featured content is part of an upcoming online course which Sal and I have created. Click here for more information on ‘Sex of Equality’
This artwork has SOLD. To make an enquiry about commissioning a similar piece, please use the contact form below.
