Jack Loftus
The Silent Epidemic
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jackgrad702
The Silent Epidemic follows the journey of a boy who is raised toxic and shows the consequences of such a lifestyle accessed through a digitally illustrated graphic novel. Some of the themes in the graphic novel are abuse, social pressure, masked emotions, social isolation, substance abuse, and reflection. The Silent Epidemic aims to address toxic masculinity through illustrations that create a loose narrative to follow. The narrative depicts the cycle of learnt toxic in men that develops into negative social norms and mental health issues. The graphic novel also acts as a call to action for men to reflect and start the difficult conversations that come with looking out for their mates.
This project is intended to inform, through illustration and typography, to bring light to the subjects of men's mental health and toxic masculinity and the generational cycles that keep it alive. Constructing a narrative through illustrations would allow men to identify with aspects of toxic masculinity that they may relate to and start the process of breaking the cycle.
This graphic novel takes an artistic approach to follow a character that experiences toxic masculinity at home and follows the issues that arise from living with toxic behaviour. The content is based on research into the origins of toxic masculinity, how boys are affected from a young age, and how toxic behaviour affects them as they move through life. Men are often conditioned to bottle up their feelings. Lacking the social support to talk about their feelings has created a silent epidemic of men and boys who feel lost in a world that seemingly doesn't need them.
Boys learn to be men from the men in their lives, from their own experiences navigating our social norms, and from a large social and cultural context. This environmental learning can affect men and boys differently. Many men still face the same personal issues relating to toxic masculinity. Whether it’s loneliness, emotional insensitivity, or failure to express their feelings. A large percentage of the male population fails to identify a problem in the first place. To create change the issue has to be identified. This graphic novel hopes to create a change by exposing the issues.
It is time to start the difficult conversations. Through friendship and wisdom, we can alter the status quo for future generations.
