An Inherent Tear (Una Lágrima Inherente)

'Una Lágrima Inherente' is a photographic project exploring masculinity in Peru through portraiture and testimony, tracing how inherited expectations, silence, and vulnerability shape male identity across regions and generations.

This series began in Peru in 2022 while I was watching a television commercial. I was struck by the distance between the lived realities of men and the simplified, stereotypical image of masculinity that still circulates in our society. That moment became a starting point—a quiet rupture that led me to question how masculinity is inherited, constructed, and performed across generations.

I grew up hearing my grandfather repeat a phrase that echoes across many cultures: “Men don’t cry.” A simple sentence, yet one heavy with expectation. Within it lives the belief that masculine strength is measured by emotional silence. Unlearning these lessons—absorbed in childhood and carried into adulthood—is never simple.

In this project, the Spanish word hombría occupies a central place. More than a biological condition, it names a social ideal that must be earned. As sociologist Norma Fuller suggests, hombría is a status achieved through a series of symbolic trials, where courage, endurance, and emotional restraint are rewarded. Recognition by other men becomes essential for entering what she describes as the “world of men.”

These ideas resonate with Pierre Bourdieu’s understanding of masculinity as both privilege and burden—a position of power that demands constant proof. They also echo the work of R.W. Connell, who reminds us that masculinity is never singular but composed of multiple forms in tension. Among them stands hegemonic masculinity, a dominant model that quietly disciplines and measures other ways of being a man.

This project does not attempt to define masculinity. Instead, it moves through its cracks and uncertainties. I am interested in how masculinity is shaped by geography, class, history, and intimacy in Peru. Traveling through different regions of the country, I created portraits and initiated conversations with the people who stood before my camera. After the initial hesitation, many encounters unfolded into moments of unexpected honesty—stories marked by vulnerability, memory, and a desire to be heard.

Rather than proposing a new model, this work seeks to open a space. A space where men can hesitate, question, and speak without fear. Because perhaps the tear—the one we were taught to hold back—was always there, quietly present, inherent.