'ADAM'

Feminist movements all around Europe and America have been trying to free themselves from the patriarchy and misogyny that have been targeting them for ages already. They evolved into these independent and strong human beings who freed themselves from the validation of men. Females are no longer confined to the kitchen space but they are becoming presidents, practicing kong-fu ánd are taking care of the children. While girls have been growing out of their stereotypes and steadily made their way into traditionally male domains, men are left behind in the same spot. They are left behind and confused about the shapes their roles have taken.

I have the feeling that we’re standing on a crossroad. The feminists of 2018 are screaming at the alpha males why the heck they are not moving along with them! But how is a man, who has been put inside a (stereotypical) box his whole life, able to walk across that zebra and join the feminists on the other side of the road if he doesn’t know how to get there? Society and popular/visual culture don’t give men enough tools and space to develop their empathic ability. When psychotherapist Esther Perel was interviewed on Zomergasten (television show broadcasted on national television in The Netherlands) in the summer of 2018, she stated that the 21st century is the time for the emancipation of men. It will be the time for their emancipation only if we are willing to look at our societal structures and how we are raising our boys to become men. Which stereotypes are we putting upon them through representation in visual culture?