celebrating the soft masculine [a client's musings] | victoria bc boudoir photography

This is my body. Naked and vulnerable.

As I explored and dove deeper into my research on masculinity I realized that many men are not happy with their bodies. Of course, we are told that we must look a certain way. That’s hegemonic masculinity. We must be big, strong, lean, aggressive. But why? How come we never teach men the parameters of self-care? And even when we do it comes across as feminine, as something that is inherently wrong. Something that is not masculine.

Remember, masculine and feminine are just social constructs anyways. Do whatever makes you glow.

My body doesn’t look like what it did a few years ago. But I’ve come to accept it. Maybe I should have done a photoshoot like this when I looked my “best” but mentally I knew I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t love my body the way I do now.

The ironic part that I found is that many people that are comfortable in the gym (regardless of gender) may not be comfortable being naked around their partners. I know this to be true because this was also something I went through. Many can perform for a crowd but it’s the intimate moments that make us feel vulnerable. Vulnerability isn’t easy. But it’s a skill we can hone.

Perhaps the naked body is a metaphor for the Self…completely unraveled, exposed. If you’re comfortable being naked, are you comfortable with your Self? Maybe…I’ll come back to that in my studies.