(Hu)Man Enough: Design Interventions for Facilitating Familial Conversations About Gender and the Discontainment of Masculinity
Portrayals of masculinity in the media imprint the male societal construct on children, leaving guardians to protect their children from the emotional harm of toxic masculinity. Through my design research and graphic design practice, I aim to help guardians intercede and establish conversations about healthy gender expression. Guardians often are the first role models children have, so they must challenge their preconceived expectations of how men and women should act, encourage healthy behaviors, and support personal expression. Guardians can be more productive in facilitating impactful conversations with their children when they can thoughtfully talk about their fears, uncertainties, and disappointments. I created Many, a brand to provide a roadmap to guardians on the journey of their child’s self-discovery. I designed a website and a conversational guide in the form of a children’s book. The core messages relayed in this children’s book span identity, vulnerability, self-love, and more.
Disrupting the inner policing of performative-masculinity of self and others will inherently disrupt the societal restriction of non-male-heteronormative expression and agency.
