Comments Widget

    It is very difficult for me to actually know what is or is not "manly." How does one define masculinity?  I still do not know exactly, but I feel being manful (having or showing the courage and resoluteness considered characteristic of a man), is an internal struggle males must face individually. The struggle to define masculine identity is a shared experience regardless of sexual orientation or religious or cultural difference. 


    Emotional vulnerability comes from being human, not from being masculine or feminine, but it seems that, in a way, the traditional model of masculinity disregards the emotions that make a man human.  The very definition of courage calls us to persevere through physical and emotional strife.  However, how could a male be courageous or resolute in a situation unless he is challenged by something that makes him feel emotionally vulnerable?


    As I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico I lost several of my dear friends to prison or death.  In their struggles I saw how their situations might have been different had they a clearer definition or

more steadfast model of what was really manful.  I am inspired by the dream-like narratives of filmmaker David Lynch and his explorations of truth beneath the pleasant surfaces of our socially constructed paradigms.  These photographs are produced using models that are also my current friends.  Working intuitively, I search for settings where I am inspired to direct their interactions within the found environment in order to create these ambiguous, sometimes-humorous narratives.

All Images © Marq Sutherland

The State of Being Manly