From: Sydney
In the photo, the boy who is
intended to be the main focus of the photo is on his knees, sobbing after
receiving devastating news via text message. The boys in the background are
laughing at him, because he’s showing a major sign of weakness. I chose to portray
this scene because I think that boys laughing at, or making fun of other boys
who choose to show their emotions are very common in today’s society. This
connects to the “Tough Guise” film that we watched in class. This photo shows
that boys or men who choose to show their emotions strip themselves of their
masculinity, therefore causing them to be made fun of by other boys and men. I
chose this garage for the setting of this photo because it screams masculinity.
The tools on the walls and in the background, the bin with sports equipment,
and the dirty rustic floors all symbolize masculinity, and “tough-ness”. I
think this photo makes a statement about boy culture today, by showing that
expressing one’s emotions can cause bullying and dehumanization.
8 comments:
One of the things I notice about this image that I find very interesting, is these boys are in this room that is clearly very masculine, but more than that it is very bland. I relate this a great deal back to Tough Guise, and the way men are not taught to be expressive and therefore are not given outlets to express themselves creatively. We often times see girls in very colorful environments, and the boys in "manly" environments which also happens to be quite like cages.
I actually find this very interesting because of the fact that you decided to use the adjective “devastating” to describe the text. I do agree that in boy culture showing any sign of weakness is frowned upon and that boys will take that opportunity to make fun of that softness. However, I don’t believe that men are entirely heartless. Men try very hard to keep up the charade but I do believe that if a man does break down, especially due to a message he received, that he would not be looked down on. I say this because of personal experience, my grandfather who is one of the manliest men I know has cried only a few times, one time in particular was when his mother passed away. This was clearly “devastating” news but it didn’t make anyone he knew think any less of him. Instead they admired him and respected him more. However, this effect could be explained by the fact that he is a man, which makes it easier for others to bend the rules.
What appeals to me the most about this image the expression of both the ridiculers and the victim. This concept of “Tough Guise” is the message this photograph models. The idea that is taught in our culture from men to other men, that being too sensitive or emotional is a sign of weakness, or femininity and not masculinity. I find that the background of this picture being a tool shed of some sort plays into a fitted expectation of men and symbolize masculinity in a way. This photograph is a demonstration of how men taunt other men for not holding or meeting up to these set standards of masculinity. If shown emotion it is seen as weakness and will lead into the mockery of others in the same sex.
I actually found this picture to be so true and actually sad. In this day boys are not allowed to show emotion without being called weak or anything else. It is sad and then boys get made fun of when by their peers when they do not know the half of what is going on in their life but are fast to make fun of them for showing emotion. This is probably why a lot of young men are angry and commit suicide. This society has corrupted our kids minds now.
The term “boys will be boys” comes into play because it seems normal for guys to pick on each other. The photo depicts how men can be cruel and even cause psychological impacts on other men. The camera angle shows the daunting men over the more emotional man displaying that they are more superior and have more power. The fact that it is two guys also shows that men in groups can cause more of n impact—it would be a different story if it was just one guy with his friend.
I find this picture to be an eye-opener to the reality of boy culture. It is true that boys are raised to not show their emotions. This can cause several things to happen such as what is displayed in this photo; other boys pointing out and laughing at the “mistake” of letting your emotions out. As a part of the tough guise, men are encouraged to show their emotion through violence and anger towards others. This is how the tough guise tells them they will maintain power and control over others, and will be viewed as more masculine, because the last thing a man wants is for people (especially other men) to view him as feminine, vulnerable and powerless.
When I see this photo, I think back to "Tough Guise." It's sad to think that this happens in boy culture. I personally have never been around males who make fun and ridicule someone they (seemingly) are close to for being distraught over devastating news. I feel like things like this happen more when the boys don't know each other very well and are still trying to impress each other with their masculinity and humor. I'd like to think if a boy was with his close male friends and got devastating news and he was upset and crying, they would support him and help him trough it, like friends and good people should.
This is a very strong and true concept that I have dealt with firsthand. Boys see "weakness" as showing emotion and doing anything that would tarnish his masculinity. The picture shows him as singled out and by himself, separated from the tough guy group. This separation, as well as the direction in which the boys' eyes are looking draws your attention to the boy on the ground. The garage that the scene is taking place in is covered in stereotypically male objects around the two laughing boys, which singles out the boy even more. This photo does a very good job at showing the tendencies of boys to seek out nonconformity and cut it out of their groups.
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