Jonathan Ho

Department: Contextual Design

Fetishizing Masculinity

As the beginning of a female-led era is near, men feel the need to reaffirm their masculinity. But what is typical male behaviour today? Jonathan Ho challenges men to question their own macho mechanisms and the power they want to express with it. With ‘Fetishizing Masculinity’ he draws on mainstream representations of manliness in popular culture – and add a provocative layer. The gym equipment may look like regular fitness furniture, but the proportions are totally off. In fact, the brutalist designs are not meant for fitness, but for sexual poses. And have you ever heard of a glory hole? Here it has been upgraded from dirty to deluxe by placing it in a classy textile wall divider with an elegant Chesterfield-like texture. Finally, the leather jumpsuit shows the devastating effect of the current crisis in masculinity, which Jonathan believes can draw men to join terrorist movements. The knee patches may resemble the emblem from the IS-flag, but the Arab words actually mean something completely different.