Straie and Toxic Masculinity
Utilizing systems of viewing to cross-examine contemporary social constructs, I challenge the epidemic of toxic masculinity by promoting empathy with the subject while recontextualizing the understanding of self. My color photographs depict male bodies that challenge western physical ideals and apply the “lens” of the female gaze in order to evoke emotion. This interaction establishes a synchronicity between the viewer and subject, and transforms the male body from object to subject. I highlight the history of the body and maintain control through ownership and celebration of the striae, or stretch marks, that result from the expansion and contraction of the dermis, which is universal to all genders. My work combats the deeply ingrained male gaze and patriarchal ways of seeing by manipulating discourse and achieving a universal understanding through particularity.
