Textual Poaching

 The Remix:




BEFORE                                       AFTER   



ARTIST STATEMENT:

Media alters how we think of ourselves. It’s deeply affected by our perceived audience as mentioned in Danah Boyd’s chapter from It’s Complicated The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Having just read this chapter as I sought for a good representation of me, made me hesitate. I thought of discussing my being white, as I often first think of that when considering identity nowadays, but I was wary of my potential audience and was worried my portrayal might be off. I also considered talking about my red hair but was unable to find anything that fit the age requirements and had the right portrayal I wanted to remix. I cycled through many other different options before settling on discussing my gender. I chose this mostly because my childhood consisted of my being a male raised around 4 sisters, having a more feminine attitude about life, and being younger of the siblings. I was not the tall, strong, athletic man that was expected of me by both my father and my peers. This led to my alienation from the guys at school, and a great relationship with all the girls at my school. I was often asked if I were gay. With this in mind, I decided I wanted to make a commentary on how my dad and my peers saw what I, apparently, “should have been”.

Masculinity and Femininity exists on a spectrum. I believe that. I believe that the most feminine man can also not be homosexual. The same goes for the most masculine woman. This ad, calling for the “real men” is not only insinuating that “real men” go to war, but also that they are only looking for “real” men to join. I added images of what I believe to be an accurate representation of what a “real” man is in this time period as well as our own. I specifically look to avoid the term “toxic masculinity” in this presentation, as I do believe that feminists have a bigger fish to fry, but I think there is still an expectation of what a man is supposed to be. My greatest desire in life is to be a father. How can one man have a greater purpose than that? So, what if I was skinny, short, thoughtful, and non-violent? Does that make me the opposite of a “real” man? Am I fake? Less? I don’t believe so. I believe that differences are sometimes highlighted so bright, they blind us to the similarities. This remix shows what I think of when I think of the term “real man”.


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