Man Up is a contest I hosted to target the societal norms of toxic masculinity that is represented through little boys clothing. The objective of this contest is for male participants to design a t-shirt for young boys that is not so limited to interests based on gender. Majority of the shirts for little boys that you see nowadays represent things such as cars, sports, video games, etc. However, some little boys may be into things such as unicorns, cute animals, or even bright colors in which you do not see very often.
The reason why I wanted to host this contest is to make a difference in the fashion industry. I noticed how there are limited options to choose from when it comes to shopping in the children's sections of mainstream stores. I also wanted to host this contest because I loved the idea of getting people around my age involved in this contest. Having highschoolers design the shirts shows that they dedicated time to creating something special in which they love and also would love to share with the young kids in the world.
Within this contest I had 3 judges and 3 sponsors. Michelle from Girlfriend’s boutique, Rosimere from Isabella Boutique, and Naomi from Hula boutique were all judges in Man Up. Angela from On the runway boutique, Lisa from Siren Boutique, and Jasmine from Picnic SF were all sponsors in this contest. The clothing brand, Boy Wonder, also sponsored this contest and is working with the winners of my contest to give feedback and help them improve their designs.
The contest recently wrapped up and the winners decided by the judges were Sean Russel, Micah Toblerone, and Liam Vanderwaude!! Congratulations to those 3!
If interested in learning about the judges and/or sponsor's boutiques, check out my previous blog posts!
Sources:
Save the sharks shirt https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000571080447.html
Colorful Astronaut shirt https://princess-awesome.com/collections/boy-wonder/products/astronauts-long-sleeve-raglan-shirt