Anna Birkás has been inspired by the awesome men in her life to create these images reflecting their freedom of self expression.
—
The project explained:
I desire to support all men in finding their true self, without society’s limited vision of what is allowed. We are evolving to accept more ‘types’ of men, and different types of sexuality and gender expression. However, heterosexual men are still expected to stay within a limited sphere with regard to how they dress, touch each other, and express emotions.
Within my circles of friends I see a beauty and uniqueness in the way my male friends express themselves that is refreshing, dynamic, and yes, sometimes feminine (And very attractive). Some of them wear cute clothes and makeup, some are bi or just willing to cross the line and experiment, some are not, others wear velvet speedos. These men are not gay—they are not trans. They hug each other for real, hold each other when they cry, and support each other through depression and weakness. And they support us as strong and healthy women, because they understand the oppression and where it is coming from. They take the risk. They shine.
In each others company, the men in my life—these heroes—are free to be themselves. However, in the general public, or in the work environment, there is still prejudice that binds them in ways that women are not bound. The heterosexual “man box” can be smaller, and tighter, than that of other genders.
Patriarchy affects us all, men, women, children, and the environment. It affects our emotional and physical well being. Supporting women has almost become mainstream (something worth celebrating), but to be a healthy whole, we need to support men too.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad freeBy supporting men to be free in their expression, they can better support and peaceably interweave with all genders and species of the planet. We are part of a whole; we can best break through the oppressive forces that our hierarchical society lays upon us if we are all free to be ourselves and beautiful. This project shows a colorful and uplifting spectrum of male expression.
These photos of my friends were not posed, and the expression of love, passion and sometimes ‘femininity’ that they embrace is real. Thank you so much for the inspiration guys—I am so glad to have you as role models as I raise my son in your radiant presence.
You can view the entire series here.
The majority of the women in my peer group all proclaim to be supportive in the way outlined in this article.
But, to a tee, they all date typical masculine, stoic men. ‘There’s something so manly avout him’ they coo. Hypocrisy much?
I don’t know if it hypocrisy or not. I like pretty boys. Some women don’t. There are all spectrums. Do the women you know change their own brakes and take the trash out and chop the wood, or are they more feminine, requiring a man capable to fulfill traditionally male tasks for them? Maybe this doesn’t matter, but I bet it does in some segments of the population. That said, I am not usually attracted to men that can’t do things with their bodies. I need a man that can match me in building and intellect and outdoor skills. I… Read more »
Anna, although you mention that “Patriarchy affects us all, men, women, children, and the environment” I hope that by making that statement that you are not denying the role that Matriarchy has in the lives of us all, men, women, children and the environment. The effect of matriarchy may not be as strongly felt as patriarchy (due in part to certain feminists denial that such a concept of matriarchy even exists) but it is real and does have a negative impact on the lives of many.
Hey Ratty, I agree that matriarchy also affects these things. Without having a longer conversation, I am not sure what angle you mean. There could be several ways to look at this. One is that women oppress men and women too. As in, women employers are more likely to hire men of the same quality resume as women. Another angle is that women oppress boys and ben by telling them to “man up” just like men do. A woman may not like a man to show weakness. Another angle is that one could argue that ‘matriarchy’ brings us further away… Read more »
I will float one take on Matriarchy. I think we let mothers set a lot of our rules, since they have traditionally been the ones to pass them on, and they bend them to their advantage over time. Any value system that just writes off violence as unnecessary and out-of-date, while living in a country that could not exist without continual violence being carefully deployed is matriarchal, and evil. That is the value system we are teaching in schools, pretty much. I don’t think *men* set the rules of sex up so that they would have to constantly hate one… Read more »
OK, so that was awful and bitter and harsh. The point can be put much more simply. Our cultures stated ethics might come packaged in a patriarchal religion, but it seems really clear to most people that the script for ‘good’, especially to the degree “good is boring”, was written by women, and to a certain degree for women. That backlash of “good is boring” is a male protest against being told we wrote the rules, when it seems obvious we didn’t, and yet still being expected to enforce them, when push comes to shove. Our prisons are 95% male… Read more »