Ellenőrzés

My experience of the cultural difference of expectations for men in Hungary vs UK. The Hungarian Presidential Palace Guards summed up the strong masculine-dominated culture still present in Hungary; the uniformity, visible lack of individualism, absence of any femininity. It may have been better to photograph the locals themselves, as these men are just doing their job. But I felt the visual of them performing the masculine spectacle of marching into line for an inspection was a reflection of the performative masculinity I saw in the local men and the pressure I felt to conform and act more masculine. Ellenőrzés is a Hungarian word that can mean both inspection and control. I like the contradiction of the “elle” part of the word which English and French speakers recognise as a feminine word, further showing the cultural difference around masculinity. This could be linked back to the systemic homophobia and transphobia currently rife in Hungary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQEF7rxXuIo 'Systemic Homophobia is Getting Worse in Hungary' from Bloomberg Quicktake.