Fashion Photographer Kenneth Willardt, on Fear

We can’t be afraid anymore. And that’s the real downfall of the American male. They’re afraid of everybody. They’re afraid of foreigners; they’re afraid of women; they’re afraid of losing; they’re afraid that they can’t fall asleep at night; they’re afraid that they can’t get it up. That’s the downfall, that’s the underlying cause of the decline: fear.

When we let go of that fear, things will change. The fear is what stops us from being men. Because men should not be afraid. Aggression is a symptom of fear. Men don’t need to be so aggressive. They’re supposed to be heroes and fathers and do great things. And this is not what men are doing anymore—they’re playing video games and getting fat on hot dogs. The women are moving ahead. And if they can’t do it with men, they’ll do it on their own. We need to make this world better. Men want to be heroes and if we don’t make men heroes, we’re only hurting ourselves.

—Kenneth Willardt, fashion photographer, in The Decline of Men, by Guy Garcia