Masculinity is a delicate subject. From alpha male stereotypes to macho tropes, the expectations of“manhood’’ have bred a state of toxic masculinity that’s exactly that: toxic. In Europe, the single biggest killer of men under 45 is suicide. In 2016, there were 5668 reported cases in the UK alone, and of these an overwhelming 75% were men. Silence is drummed into boys from childhood, and our patriarchal society dictates that men should suppress their feelings, not be “too emotional”, too weak — too feminine. But attitudes are changing, albeit slowly. As mental health issues are increasingly entering mainstream conversation — be it Kanye West vocalising his struggles with bipolar or British photographer Rosie Matheson’s intimate portraits of modern masculinity — it seems the world is beginning to accept that boys really do cry.
Simply titled Boys, Matheson’s ongoing photo series began in 2015, and was born out of a desire to subvert the prolific and highly editorial portrayal of young men in favour of a more honest reflection of their true selves. “I’m interested in targeting the pressures that guys have in society,” Matheson told Dazed in a recent interview. “The feeling that they have to portray themselves as masculine. I’ve found sometimes when I’m photographing boys there seems to be some kind of facade, like they’re bottling something up inside of them and trying not to show their emotions. As if it were a bad thing to express their feelings. The project focuses on showing each individual through natural, uncontrived and honest.”
Lensing a variety of young men in the context of the different countries and subcultures that shape their identities, Matheson shines an all-important light on ordinary people. The resulting images are both refreshingly candid and undeniably beautiful, a quality heightened by the photographer’s strictly analogue approach. They’ve earned support from Getty Images, the British Journal of Photography, Tate Modern and the International Centre of Photography in New York to name but a few, and thanks to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, Boys is now a film too.
Directed in partnership with filmmaker Kaj Jefferies, the short documentary builds on the Boys stills by giving each protagonist a voice — and space to have it heard. Shot exclusively on Kodak Super8, the film is not only a loud and proud echo of Matheson’s most-used insta hashtag, #filmsnotdead, but also an important reminder that masculinity is never one-size-fits-all.
The “Boys” documentary is being screened at various locations worldwide and the project will soon be available as a photo book. Follow Rosie Matheson’s on instagram for more details. Let’s hear it for the boys!