Boys Being Boys

Many of us gay men grew up with a script. It told us how to act, what to want, and how exactly to get it. Since childhood, billboards, magazines, TV, and films bombarded us with cookie-cutter, heteronormative visions of what the ideal man should be.

A successful man, they said, was stoic, dominant, self-sufficient, and rich. Always the savior. Always the provider. Always in control. Never feminine. The result was a relentless, unsustainable male fantasy that became engrained into so many boys and young men. One that stripped men of nuance and the complexity. These archetypes were everywhere.

I was sick of it. One day, I just closed my eyes and asked myself: If I didn’t have to please a client, what kind of man would I draw? And what would he be doing? I promised myself that I’d illustrate from instinct—whatever came to mind. What emerged were men sprawled across the page, being dramatic, silly, soft, uninhibited, flirtatious—feminine, even. They were having fun. They were in on the joke. I looked at the finished pieces and thought: Even though they’re fiction, they feel real. It’s just boys being boys. Because men can be all those things—and still be men. That’s what makes us human, not the boxy, ultra-processed templates sold to us.

All artwork and images are copyrighted. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution is strictly prohibited. For licensing or collaboration inquiries, please contact me.

Exhibitions
Palazzo Merulana (Rome, Italy) 2022

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