With its new campaign, FACULTY introduces “New Wave Masculinity.” The beauty brand embraces a world of self-expression and creativity, breaking long-held notions about masculinity. Men’s nail polish in must-have colors, including black, white, and red, is part of FACULTY’s inaugural offering. Tonje Thilesen, a Brooklyn-based photographer, shot FACULTY’s campaign, which showcases five brilliant personalities.
FACULTY ‘New Wave Masculinity’ Campaign
“I think I see masculinity as a tool of expression, and less as an identifying factor,” explains Tonje Thilesen. “As someone who identifies as non-binary, I like to mix up masculinity & femininity a lot, or co-exist between the two. It manifests in a lot of different ways.”
Thilesen goes on, “For me, masculinity has always been really fun and free, but also a word that I relate to caretaking, security, and vulnerability. I think some folks can have negative associations with masculinity for various societal or environmental reasons, so I think it is important to remind ourselves that it is – at the end of the day – whatever you want it to be, regardless of gender.”
Model Isaiah discusses FACULTY’s idea of “New Wave Masculinity.” He describes it as “an act of defiance.” Isaiah explains, “Gender roles are thrust upon us from birth, and we’re expected to exist within tradition at the expense of our truest expression in fashion, music, art, social interaction, and all matters of self-expression.”
Isaiah adds, “We have to morph ourselves to fit into pre-made packaging. Now we’re able to push back and ask, ‘why’? We can interrogate these longstanding gender roles by blurring the lines, and completely reset our thinking around what it means to be masculine or feminine – because we can’t talk about masculinity without talking about femininity.”
