From: Ashleigh
Social
scripts tell men that they shouldn’t show any kind of weakness or emotion. That
they can handle anything that comes their way and that a real man doesn’t ask
for help. This is where men put on the “tough guise” mask.
Here you have
a combat Marine, who has come back from war but the military doesn’t want to
hear that a troop isn’t adjusting well. That would go against everything that
they have instilled in their Marines. Marines are supposed to be tough, rugged,
and fearless. Asking for any kind of
help would show weakness and that would make him an “atypical” man. So he stays
silent.
I tried to
use quite a bit of symbolism in this photo.
There is duct tape over his mouth, and over his nametape. To show that
he’s being shut up, and he wants to keep his identity a secret because he’s
embarrassed that he needs help. His
emotions of “fear”, “anger”, “failure”, and “guilt” are all being “swept under
the rug”. He’s been backed into a corner with his hands behind his back and is
alone behind closed doors. The flag that he risked his life for is upside down
because he’s in distress. The picture is in black & white because it's seen
as a black & white issue. Either you’re ok or you’re not. There’s no middle
ground.
Why does society teach boys from a
young age to keep everything bottled up? That men don't share their feelings?
That being emotional is girly? Why is it ok for a women to say that she’s
struggling, but if a man does he’s told to “Get over it.” ?
2 comments:
I love this picture. The way you show the emotions being "swept under the rug" is perfect. There are so many people who go through unthinkable things in combat and are expected to act like nothing happened just because they are men. I also love how his mouth and name tag are taped over because it shows that he really can't speak about what he is feeling. Again and again we see young boys being taught that they don't express their feelings, and I think that it has somehow become such a social norm that people don't even realize the long term effects it can have.
Men are taught to be the macho men, though guys, the ones who can’t have anything affect them emotionally. But that is such a hard burden to put on anyone. Why is it so bad for a guy to express what is making him sad or mad, or that he is crying about something. We all have feelings, and to ask for someone to push them in the back and hide them is wrong and can be psychologically damaging. As women do things that are seen as masculine, men should be able to do things that are feminine without being called gay or looked at as any less of a man than he is. The duct tape in this picture is a great way to show how men hide what they have to say if they think they’ll get made fun of for it. Also him wearing the camouflage also symbolizes that he is hiding some parts of him to be able to fit the norm tough guy persona.
Post a Comment