The basic idea of this project is to re-depict the basic male archetype in Western media. Through this re-depiction, the project seeks to unravel the basic construct of male masculinity in Western Media and how pervasive this form is.
This archetype originates in both commercial forms, like advertising and film, as well as newer social media. This project began life as a collection of photos that were retelling old photographs of what defined masculinity from the turn of the twentieth century. These photos represented advertisements, sports players, presidents, and other figures who represented the idea of “manliness”. The photographs then became into a series of GIF animations that depicted the poses that existed in the past and are still circulating in their most basic form today. As well, in order to expose the construct that exists on most platforms today, they were depicted on a green screen and then the green screen was left in the animation without being removed. This final depiction showed how the idea of “manliness” is arbitrary and constructed. This nature shows how this idea is then constantly repeated over and over again through many different media forms both consciously and unconsciously while being taught to children today so they may carry on the message of what it means to “be a man” based on what someone decided over a hundred years ago.
Overall the idea of what it means to be a man has become a pervasive element in Western Media. This archetype is not only constructed and arbitrary but also is continuously repeated in both conscious and subconscious ways.
