Black Masculinity: A Personal Narrative

I propose a zine that describes the effects of toxic black masculinity on the community. A zine is most commonly a small self-circulated piece of original work exploring a certain topic or topics. I wanted to do more research on how toxic masculinity has shaped men to think and behave. I wanted to include my own personal narrative and even (possibly) include some other personal experiences from maybe two or three people. I chose a zine because I always wanted to publish one and I wanted to start up my own publication company, so this fits perfectly with both the class and my professional aspirations.

I thought making a zine was a good way to spread information. Zines can also be as creative as you want them to be so I am looking forward to creating a unique work of art. I also thought it would be cool to leave them lying around campus versus shoving them in peoples’ faces because often people will read something they see lying around in a lobby or waiting room. So, I wanted to leave them maybe lying around the caf on dining tables, leave some in some advisement waiting areas, and in some department waiting areas. I want it to market itself.

  

For the cover of the magazine I wanted to implement the ‘collage method’.  Collaging is a projective technique by which participants select images that represent how they feel about a particular topic. The participants then explain to the moderator the reason they chose each image. The collage becomes an instrument through which participants can express needs and feelings that they might not otherwise have been able to articulate. The collage method, in relation, to my cover allows for readers to see the different representations of masculinities.

 I decided to explore this topic because it has been on my mind since I first got involved in the realm of behavior, behavior patterns, masculinity, etc. but more importantly Black Twitter. I realized that the same behaviors lied in some many black men and that it really affected those around them. I also wanted to relay my own personal experience which may or may not be the same as others. I know that my background has shaped my way of thinking and I think that more importantly I want to, instead of maybe just listing solutions that seem completely farfetched, maybe educate and make people think about their actions in a different way. By having them look at their behaviors through someone else’s eyes. Recently open forums have been popping up everywhere discussing these situations but personally I feel like they give us an empty glimpse into the future with not-so-real expectations to people to change overnight.

          

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/02/collaging-getting-answers-questions-you-dont-know-ask/

http://frankolsonproject.org/collage-method/

https://www.theroot.com/nipsey-hussle-homophobia-and-toxic-black-masculinity-1821954848

http://lwlies.com/articles/black-masculinity-boyz-n-the-hood-moonlight/

http://afropunk.com/2016/10/uk-black-boys-dont-cry-project-reimagines-black-masculinity-through-spoken-word-film-and-photography/

http://www.artsobserver.com/2012/01/19/kehinde-wileys-regal-portraits-explore-black-masculinity/


http://www.thefader.com/2016/06/14/carefree-black-men

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