Apollo

Model / Tommy Tom 

Photography / Yannis Davy Guibinga

"Apollo" is a study on the intersections between race, culture and gender performance. In many cultures around the world, but especially in the Gabonese culture, men are usually told to be overly-masculine at all times and to detach themselves from most emotions. They are told that showing emotions, being tender, soft and kind is a "feminine" trait and is, therefore, negative. Additionally, black men are constantly seen, in mainstream media especially, as extremely masculine and seemingly incapable of displaying any type of emotions other than rage, anger or anything else violent or negative. In this series, the model fights the idea that black men constantly have to constantly perform and show this overly masculine side even if that's not who they really are and how they really feel.