I chose to tell Man-Up to shift the narrative surrounding self-expression and challenge the conventional understanding of masculinity. Growing up, there’s often this belief that painting nails or embracing other forms of self-expression is something only gay people do, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. By telling this story from the perspective of Jason, a straight man, I wanted to show that breaking societal norms isn’t exclusive to one group of people.
Man-Up is a call for all individuals, straight or gay, to break free from restrictive gender norms and embrace their true selves without fear of judgment.