The Blue Orchid

soft felt, cotton, paper, 40 x 20x 20 cm

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Because men lives in stereotypes too.

I've been thinking about the concept of virility, and how virility an masculinity are ideas, a code of behavior that is taught to boys: an endless competition where strength is the most important thing, the control of emotions and feelings and the scare of being considered weak is what make the idea of the "real man".

Toxic masculinity is a problem lived by millions of men, and it's one of the factors that induces to depression in men. Male depression is real, but, in my experience, I see that it is still considered a taboo, and man lives this situation in shame and fault for being "weak". 

I think that gym in one of the places where toxic masculinity spread the most, a place where boys are "forced to go" in order to join the category of "man" that is socially accepted. 

Obviously some men go to the gym because they really enjoy it, but what I see is that many other do it just because an athletic man with a "perfect" body and muscles is considered a better man. 

Mal chauvinism has caused this situation where weakness is feminine and strength is masculine, and I think that in a modern feminism there's a need to eliminate both gender stereotypes.