Masculinity on social media

What does it mean to be masculine in today's world?

The definition of masculinity has very much evolved over the last few decades. What used to be 'who was the strongest or most dominant' has now turned into a competition of genders in terms of clothes, makeup, sexuality and actions. I found this sudden but ever evolving change very interesting and decided to research how masculinity is represented on different social media platforms and the trends and patterns that are causing this to happen. 

TikTok

TikTok is an app that has had a huge increase in popularity during quarantine. From made up dance routines to comedy videos, it has been a platform where anyone can share short videos of basically anything. This has left a lot of room for men to stand up to masculine standards and change them. (I will leave some examples below). 

These TikTok stars have been a clear icon for this social construct revolution on social media. Just taking a look at their profiles already tells us quite a lot about them. Defeating Toxic Masculinity has been a very current topic this year. 

The aim is to demonstrate that people's actions do not define their sexuality. Often homosexuals are associated with certain characteristics and behaviours which have majorly been proven wrong. This also happens with the LGBTQ+ community too, 

Their successful attempt to change the way in which masculinity is portrayed in society and on social media has proven to become a popular trend. More and more people are starting to alter the wrongful representation of what masculinity should be, which is what inspired me to reflect this idea on the music video. I believe that social changes like these need more visibility in order to increase acceptance as it has also had a negative controversy by other close minded people. Playing with 'femininity' and introducing it to a masculine character will definitely bring meaning to the music video. Using makeup, costume, softer colour palettes and other props will certainly help us achieve this intention.

Other celebrities and Instagram influencers:

These are just some other examples of men subverting the stereotypical masculine roles:

This is just a brief analysis I made about an influencer. 

Another Icon in this movement has certainly been Harry Styles. Not only with his music but his own sense of fashion has caused a stir on social media too.