IWAKAN Volume 06: 

Masculinity — or perhaps our mistaken understanding of it — as an ideology has entrenched itself so deeply into every system that runs our society. These unequivocally male-dominated systems stare at us on a daily basis, represented by the patriarchy and misogyny we witness regularly in acts like men buying women drinks at the dinner table; reaffirming their unwavering presence and unforgiving rules. While some may find it easy to accept the system, others struggle to comply. We are those people who struggle. Those people who are tired of these outdated norms for masculinity, who are tired of it being understood solely through the lens of violence and dominance, and who are tired of the emptiness that comes from humans constantly being reduced to caricatures of themselves and forced to participate in this ludicrous system called patriarchy. Masculinity does not belong solely to those who have a penis, it is something that should be accessible to all. That is why, we want to find a new understanding of it, one that is fresh, revitalized, rich, inclusive, and diverse. It is time that masculinity changes, it is time that masculinity is liberated.

Features

The Masculinity Issue 06　違和感瞬間　男 14　Producing Sex: Images of Masculinity in the Gay Porn Industry／François Sagat 24　A Space for Men’s Confessions 32　Exploring Gender: What Can Masculinity Contribute to Being Non-binary?／Amity Miyabi 36　An Unwavering Heart Reaching for the Light／Sennosuke Kataoka 48　Imagining New Masculinities Through Music: an Interview with NoSo, Ichi Takashi, and Aisho Nakajima 52　PEOPLE VOICE OPINION Let the people speak! 60　The Unspoken Tenderness／Nelson Hor 66　Our Career Choices: A Message For the Future From a Parenting Adviser and an Obstetrician-Gynaecologist／Keito Kawanishi, Singh Ikebukuro 74　STUDY OUR ISSUE: Is “Masculinity” a Good Enough Excuse for Violence?／Noriko Yamaguchi 78　Pity for Men: the Agonies and Contradictions of Unpopular Boys.／Kai Nishii 90　The Glass House of Adonis／Andromeda 92　Exploring The House of Gay Art: The Captivating Photographs of Junichi Enya／Mika Kobayashi 96　Is Coffee Masculine? A Conversation About Coffee and Masculinity／Keita Nakamura, Yuki Shibata, Mako 108　Redefining “Realness”: Exploring the Implications and Possibilities of “Male Genital” Prosthetics／Prosthesisman.Stp.Japan 112　Disobedience, Deconstruction, and Desire: Re-Defining Bodies Through Clothing and Art／Bárbara Sánchez-Kane 122　Decoding Performance and the Body Through the Works of Kento Terada and Sota Kodera／Mika Kobayashi 128　The Exquisite Corpse of Likeness／Yuki Kasaï-Paré 137　Recognising ‘Domination’: The Beginning of Resistance／Hanae Takahashi 138　Vol.4 IWAKAN OPEN ART CONTEST 141　Radically Moderate／Nonoka Sasaki 142　A Diary of Secret Dialogues／Mitsu Tachibana 144　My Incomplete Beauty Handbook／Yuri Abo 146　Asian Gaze／Yo Katami from loneliness books 148　Let’s Talk About Politics／Ana 150　Stopped Making Sense／Noemi Minami 152　Recommendations from Contributors Cover Design: 福岡南央子

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This series documents one of the oldest historical spots in Bucharest essential for the Romanian cultural patrimony and history: Coșbuc Flower-Market on Calea Rahovei Street. I am focusing specifically on male flower sellers as their macho look contrasts with the sensitive craft of floristry. Even though they are showing off a blustering bravado, becoming friends with them I discovered under this manly harness, emotions resonating with the bouquets sold. This documentary highlights the complexity of human kind and the redundancy of gender norms.

Even though the project started as an inquiry of masculinity from a feminine perspective, the fact that all the flower sellers are of Roma ethnicity should not be overlooked. Media and newspapers spread the fear about Roma people. This project is done as a pursuit of trying to overcome and question these stereotypes too.

First encounter with the flower sellers men in the market was marked by catcalling comments, a thing that is not Roma specific. Instead of passing by quickly ignoring and validating this overly masculine behavior, I used my camera as a dialogue mechanism, I wanted to take a portrait trough my feminine perspective. On the one hand to reclaim my power regarding gender differences and on the other, to question this fear that must be coming from a substrate of racism and thus it’s an excuse for inequalities between the Roma minority and Romanian majority of people.

I believe that fear produces more fear and a vicious circle is created. What if all that manly bravado comes from a layer of insecurity? Norms imposed by society where power is always praised. What if the jokes and loudly fooling around of Roma men I encountered are a product of the fear they have of white people? An ancestral fear as a result of centuries of rights deprivation, a topic that is too little discussed or acknowledged but covered up by inversed guilt trough fear spreading media.

Besides being a documentary about toxic masculinity and male mental health that encourages soft emotions associated with feminine behavior not to be repressed by men, recently this landmark place owned by Roma people in Bucharest has been evacuated by the police due to political interests taking advantage of the pandemic time when people’s attention was distracted. I associate this banning of the market’s authenticity with the social pressure of conforming to stereotypes and not being oneself.

Limited edition of 25 copies.

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