Real Aussie Blokes

Real Aussie Blokes is a photo series rolling out on Tumblr that aims to break down stereotypes of what it means to be a “real man”.  Some stories are funny, some are deeply personal, but all of them are moving revelations about the complexity and diversity of masculinity in 2016.

Click on individual photos to read their story.

I've always taken the risky road

I lost a nephew to suicide

I tend to think about things a lot

I think a lot of guys are given mixed messages

When I get stressed I play with my dog, Peach

I grew up playing footy with a guy who died from suicide

My mother taught me how to shave

I grew up on El Questro station

I like to talk about Batman

My first toy was a motorbike tyre

It's been a rollercoaster of emotions

I call it emptying the bucket

I got along at school because I was really gross

I think it's tough to be an Aussie man

I’m not always a happy camper

I think the beard chooses you

I knew he was on my side and proud of me

I’m more of a sook than I ever was

I just couldn't see a way through

Boxing saved my life

I was able to turn a total negative into a positive

I think it’s all right to cry

I was pale and skinny and felt deeply insecure

This is the first time I've opened up about it

I was lucky to be there when he was frail

I don’t give a rats what other people think of me

if anyone taught me how to be a man, 
 it was my mother

I think men are more open than they’ve ever been

I’d like to not be afraid of expressing myself

I wanted to do the job that was the toughest and the hardest

I dressed up and called it Fluro Friday

I’m gonna teach my son to be a good man

I was a semi-delinquent teenager

I just want to be free 
 to be me

If I'm having a rough day I drive out in the middle of nowhere and scream

I’m a very intrinsically driven person

“What would I change?" Not a fucking thing

I don’t think masculinity is in crisis

It's an escape for me

I was so afraid of what other people would think

Dad always gave me instructions rather than advice

I always try to make my own decisions