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Being Man. Art Exhibition

Experiencing a moment of time in a mans’ life through pictures. By: Ali Melcher

Photographs taken by: Ali Melcher

and Bradley Willis

As once creatures of instinct, driven by nothing more than our most purest and primaldesires, the human race has certainly made an about face. We have become animals of practice andlearned behaviors building barricades and borders around ourselves making sure we never step footoutside of the realm of “acceptable” behavior. Acceptable by whose standards? That’s the problem,because there is no clear answer. One of these conventions that we have come to understand ascompletely normal is the assignment of gender roles and identities written by a society that demands weuphold them without opposition and instills fear of rejection if we show resistance.

So, how do we come to define a man? Is it measured by the amount of success and moneyhe achieves throughout the course of his life? Is it by the quality of the family he creates and his ability toprovide sufficiently for them? Or, perhaps, it’s simply determined by the sheer masculinity of his strength,

will and power to control the world around him. The world we live in today has made sure that thetransition into manhood comes fully stocked with responsibility to full fill the many roles a man is expectedto play. Man is told to stifle is true, primal nature in order to live peacefully and “free” amongst his fellowman. Are pictures worth a thousand unspoken words? Through these photographs, one man will bedepicted in a moment of his life when he is at the threshold of figuring out exactly who he needs to be.

encounter humanities.



+fearless.

January 9, 2011.

The ultimate test of man is his ability to laughin the face of danger.



+refined.

January 12, 2011

Society demands that he keeps up

a certain appearance; a specificpersona. He is expected to

eventually “grow up” and be

accountable for all of his adult

actions.



+capable.

January 12, 2011

Man is believed to hold the world in

his hands. So, what if he can’t do

something, or achieve a goal, or

reach a destination in his life? Does

that inevitably reflect who is as a

man or lack there of?



+controlled.

January 14, 2011

He is told to have complete

control over himself; his body,

his mind and most importantly,

he must master his emotions.



+composed.

January 14, 2011

No matter what, he must never lose

his cool. He must stay completely incontrol of his life. He is allowed

certain vices, but they should never

dominate him.



+contemporary.

January 14, 2011

He must uphold the most

valued traditions with the

upmost respect, however,

stay in the now and adapt to

an ever evolving society that

is slowing pushing those

traditions further to the side.



+content.

January 14, 2011

Man must accept his role of

leadership and power. He shouldnot ever reflect on a better life

somewhere and instead, create it

for himself.



+strong.

January 22, 2011

Mentally sound. His mind is

pulsing with endless

potential. His thoughts,

ideas and finally, his voice

can change the world

overnight. Can he always

handle the pressure?



+free.

February 4, 2011

How free can a man be

with reigns in his mouth?

He must not ever stoppushing forward or

accept “no” for an

answer. His world should

be limitless…



+yet, inhibited.

February 12, 2011

…but he must always obey

the rules set forth and

remember to never stray too

far from those constraints.



+unaffected.

March 4, 2011

Determined and focused.

What he wants, he will getand no outside influence will

stop him, right?



+aware.

March 11, 2011

He is acutely alert, attentive and

rather receptive to his

surroundings, keeping himself at

a necessary distance as to not get

caught off guard.



+bold.

March 12, 2011

Courageous. Unafraid, he will take the steps forward thatneed to be taken, when times are difficult and especially

when the conditions are unbearable.



+clever.

March 22, 2011

Man’s intelligence, wit and popularity are an essential

role to his survival. Should he find himself unwanted

and alone, he will not last long.



+secure.

March 22, 2011

His self-esteem must be unshakable. His

manhood is his most powerful weapon.



+resilient.

April 3, 2011

Man must stay willing andirrepressible.



+dreamer.

April 13, 2011

Man must remain grounded and

realistic but never lose sight of the capabilities he possesses.

He must always think out of the

box but never destroy that box.



+provider.

April 20, 2011

Physically, emotionally, financially.

The burden is his to carry.



+best friend.

April 25, 2011

The relationships he develops will

be a defining characteristic of hissaid “manhood.” How well can he

play with others? How much

influence can he project?



+Lover.

May 1, 2011

Now, it’s time he finds his mate for life; a significantother to conquer the world with. Behind every

great man is a woman making him strong. It will be

assumed something is wrong with him should he

remain unattached in his later years.



+protector.

May 15, 2011

If he does not keep the ones heloves safe, who will?



+father, son.

May 21, 2011

And, then, there are those most certain

moments of a mans’ life when he never

feels more vulnerable. Everyone is

born into an automatic role of son or

daughter and from day one we areheavily influenced to pursue that

assigned gender role. However, any

person can create a baby, but,

perhaps, it really does “take a man” to

be a father.



+Works Cited

ELIZABETH THYRUM, et al. "GENDER, GENDER ROLE, AND CREATIVITY." Social Behavior &Personality: An International Journal 39.3 (2011): 425-432. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO.Web. 8 July 2011.

Excell, Laurie. Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots. Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 2011

“Genders and Gender Understanding in Relationship” Web.

ERYILMAZ, Ali, and Hasan ATAK. "Investigation of Starting Romantic Intimacy in Emerging Adulthood in terms of Self-Esteem, Gender and Gender Roles." Educational Sciences: Theory& Practice 11.2 (2011): 595-600. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 July 2011.SearchComplete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 8, 2011.

Pachankis, John E., Lea R. Dougherty, and J. Lee Westrnaas. "The Influence of SexualOrientation and Masculinity on Young Men's Tobacco Smoking." Journal of Consulting &Clinical Psychology 79.2 (2011): 142-152. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 July2011.

Strong, Bryan, Christine Devault and Theodore F. Cohen. The Marriage and FamilyExperience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010.

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