real colonel

The True Men series raises a seemingly meaningless, but actually difficult question: what is a “real man”? Brian Shumway has photographed people who clearly identify as men, but whose appearance is far from masculine. Dresses, high heels, short shorts, lots of pink. The photographer argues that in order to be called a “real man”, it is not at all necessary to fit the standard parameters of masculinity and that gender norms are imposed by society. Meanwhile, gender, according to the photographer, is a subtle and ephemeral thing. Gender identity is not only about who you are, but how you express yourself. “You can get into football and weightlifting and still feel great in makeup,” the photographer sums up.

True Men is a radical manifesto, its scandalousness has a large margin of safety even in liberal societies. Well, no less important is the fact that this is a bright and expressive photograph, clearly showing the real life of "real men", usually hidden from prying eyes.

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