How to be a Man is a collection of self-portraits interpreting the “Top 10 Manliest Men in Movies”, through a list found in a YouTube video. These characters are presented using minimal and makeshift costumes on my female body. By acting and adjusting my body to the mannerisms of the characters, the project aims to highlight the characteristics and body language of masculinity by re-enacting ‘manly icons’.

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Using 35mm black and white film, the images reflect the style of 1970’s feminist art as a way of paying respect to this important era within feminism and making contextual reference to artists of the time. The photographs are intended to be amusing, while also underlining some deeper issues surrounding masculinity within Western culture.