About
"The Attack of Toxic Masculinity" Vintage-Inspired Feminist Art Series
The Story behind "The Attack of Toxic Masculinity" Series
“The Attack of Toxic Masculinity”, a bold and provocative photography series that challenges entrenched gender norms and celebrates female empowerment in a world dominated by toxic masculinity. Composed of 11 images, this series immerses us in the journey of a brave protagonist who faces social expectations, dysfunctional relationships, and the empty promises of romantic love.
Through a unique combination of 50s pop aesthetics and comic book visual storytelling, each image takes us into a world of sarcastic dialogue, ironic situations, and eye-opening moments that challenge our perceptions of gender and relationships. From disenchantment to liberation, we follow the protagonist’s path as she fights against gender stereotypes and claims her own autonomy and self-acceptance.
Through its satirical approach and its powerful message, “Attack of Toxic Masculinity” is more than a series of images; is a feminist artistic manifesto that seeks to question and subvert the patriarchal power structures that perpetuate inequality in heteronormative romantic relationships.
THE SERIES
"The Attack of Toxic Masculinity" Funny Retro Feminist Art Series
“THE ATTACK OF TOXIC MASCULINITY” Photographic Series. (2024)
“The Attack of Toxic Masculinity” is a provocative photography series that satirically and critically examines power dynamics and gender expectations in heteronormative relationships.
Composed of eleven photographic pieces, the series stages the diverse and very unpleasant circumstances that the protagonist faces with men who embody toxic and fragile masculinity. Inspired by vintage feminist memes that emerged as a result of the ‘ordeal’ that women face in the field of courtship or relationships with heterosexual cisgender men in today’s world.
Each portraying a subject: a woman adorned with a pop art-style zombie body paint, evoking the 1950s. She embodies a zombie as a metaphor for the ‘side effects’ of dealing with toxic masculinity, becoming infected every time she meets a man affected by it.
THE PIECES
The series ‘The Attack of Toxic Masculinity’ is not only distinguished by its incisive and feminist themes, but also by its combination of visual aesthetics that delve into social criticism. In each photograph, two distinct but complementary stylistic influences merge: the vibrant aesthetic of 1950s comics aimed at men and the visual narrative of advertisements aimed at women from the same era.
On one hand, the aesthetics of the comics of the time are evident in the graphic elements used in the photographs. The image titles, designed to resemble comic book covers, employ bright primary colors and sharp outlines, transporting the viewer to the golden age of superheroes and villains. The fictional month of publication of the ‘comic’ and other additional texts contribute to this illusion, immersing the viewer in a fictional but powerfully evocative environment. Every month a new horror story that women experience is “revealed”.
On the other hand, the aesthetics and narrative of the advertisements aimed at women in the 1950s are reflected in the setting and the main protagonist of the series. Each photograph recreates the advertising environment of traditional gender roles of the time, highlighting the social pressure on women to meet the domestic and behavioral expectations imposed by society. The protagonist, with her zombie body paint and her facial expression, personifies the fight against these oppressive norms, showing the corrosive impact of toxic masculinity on female identity.
This fusion of visual aesthetics not only enriches the aesthetic experience of the series, but also deepens its critical message. Color also functions as a message of criticism, the primary and intense tones of the comics of the time were directed towards men, while domestic advertisements aimed at women used soft and pastel tones only, throughout history, color has been used as a weapon to impose gender roles.
In this series I want color to also be a message of criticism and female emancipation. Through the combination of strong and soft tones, as a symbol of re-appropriation of spaces and liberation from these imposed roles. ‘Attack of Toxic Masculinity’ challenges ingrained gender expectations and offers a provocative reflection on the role of women in contemporary society.
Through sarcastic dialogues and ironic situations, this series not only criticizes toxic masculinity, each photographic piece stands as an act that challenges traditional narratives of romantic love, unraveling its fabrics and exposing its inherent toxicity, revealing the subtle (and not so subtle) ways in which this ideal has been used as a tool of oppression, manipulation and control towards women.
This series serves as a critique of the gender roles imposed on women, encapsulating a strong feminist message at its core. Instead of perpetuating these outdated narratives, ‘Attack of Toxic Masculinity’ challenges the you to imagine new ways of relating, free from the chains of patriarchy and based on true respect and reciprocity.
“The Attack of Toxic Masculinity” is more than a series of images; is a feminist artistic manifesto that seeks to question and subvert the patriarchal power structures that perpetuate gender inequality.
BEHIND THE ESCENES
"The Attack of Toxic Masculinity" Vintage-inspired Feminist Makeup Art Series
About "Rotten Marylin" Pop Art Zombie Makeup used in this Series
@carolinaescalanteart ✨RE SUBIENDO MI CONTENIDO PARA CUIDAR MI NUEVA CUENTA✨ GRACIAS POR SU APOYO Y TODO SU CARIÑO 💜💜💜 Les cuento que “ROTTEN MARILYN” ganó segundo lugar en in concurso de makeup de jalowiiiin y fui muy feliz con los regalitos… todo makeup 😍😍😍🤌🤌🤌
♬ original sound - ✨CAROLINA ESCALANTE ARTIST✨
Behind the Scenes
The Props
"Rotten Marylin". The Original -Marylin Monroe Inspired- Pop Art Zombie Makeup that inspired the Series
“And then he told me… that no one will love me like he did” LOL!
Anonymous