graphite, gouache, beads, string

9.5" x 9.5"

"Boys Cry Too" is a series of pieces I created addressing the need to end hypermasculinity in our society. Hypermasculinity has limited men and boys from fully expressing their emotions, mostly their ability to express sadness.

In Xavier's piece, who is a close friend of mine who suffers from depression, he has told me how many times it has been so hard for him to express his sadness. He told me countless times of him crying alone in his room because he was too uncomfortable in expressing his emotions to his family. Outside of romanticized crying, there is a need to have men and boys express their emotions with close family and friends. By this expression of emotion between friends and family, it will further normalize crying. To show the real human crying, not one just on tv and movies, I had Xavier more in a full-on sob and covering his face as well as using more of a stream of beads.

In my brother, Nathan's Boys Cry, too piece, I was focused on addressing the need to have men's tears romanticized in the media. There is a constant stream of woman's tears on the big screen. It has normalized women's emotions, but it has not been the same for men. To have it be more socially acceptable to men to cry, there needs to be a representation of men and boys crying in the media. To signify this idea of romanticized crying, I used beads that are more jewel-like and had the hand positioning more posed.

(Xavier top, Nathan bottom piece)