Cop 3 Proposal: Masculinity

Research Proposal 

For Cop 3 over summer I read up about masculinity, defining what it is I wanted to explore for my final essay I chose something I knew little about but not nothing at all. I've previously studied issues surrounding gender, feminism and the concept of 'femininity' but never have I looked at the the concept of masculinity.
Relating this to graphic design, I chose my research question:

What is masculine design?

Over summer I read through texts relating to masculine theory and looked into colour theory in the context of masculinity. Looking deeper into how masculinity is analysed I found most data I was looking at was related to Western men from a Western perspective. Highlighting a lack of research into minorities I found the 'wen-wu' masculine ideal prominent in Chinese culture fascinating, a term barely even documented as it's an ancient practice so engrained and assumed by their culture there is little written evidence of it's nature. In basic terms this refers to a man that is strong, committed to his country/ government and is capable of resisting sexual urges, a quality not shared within most Western cultures as men are often assumed to be sexual beings and women their sexual objects. The strength of man however seems a desired attribute shared amongst all cultures and contexts. Considering these differences I need to make it clear masculinity alters between different cultural backgrounds.

This assumption of 'masculinity' I find most interesting as like gender I already believe this is a social construct. Looking at this from a designers perspective I want to unpick what makes design 'manly', so conveying stereotypical desired attributes including physical strength, wealth, heteroeroticism and mental strength. All of which through mental health research has proved damaging to the point where the male suicide rate:




So, things I need to consider are

Masculine Construction
Race & Culture, different backgrounds (homosexual, ethnic minorities etc.)
Colour
Shape
Typography

Conclusion: highlighting the often negative impact the construction of masculinity can have on men from different cultural backgrounds and how design visually increases this paranoia, a summary of what is 'visual masculinity' in design.


PRACTICAL OUTCOME

For my practical outcome I aim to assess what it is that makes something 'masculine', gather all these elements and enhance them to ridiculous proportions, creating an 'uber-masculine' piece of design work, wether that be an over the top video advert promoting the manliest of razors or a package design promoting the most masculine whey powder, emphasising the need for men to bulk up.