This new website will challenge the way you see masculinity.
Have you ever heard of a website called 'A Nasty Boy'? Chances are that you have not.
It's a new website that might leave you short of words.
In the About section of the site, the website is described as "a new radical and agenda-setting fashion publication based out of Lagos—Nigeria, with a rare ability to convey the raw energy of iconoclasm in African fashion, society and culture while staying true to mainstream — catching whiffs of the underground and turning them into brutal yet utterly honest editorial and visual content that glorifies the decadence of the millennial generation which are advancing new ideas inspired by those before and after them.
"Always on the search for what is new and pace-setting in fashion and culture, A Nasty Boy interviews exceptional people and creatives, analytically featuring their works while weaving in celebratory editorial collaborations of monographical visual content across the publication."
Now that is a mouthful. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The photos on A Nasty Boy hints at the direction of the site. There is a visual essay titled "Boys Can Be Anything" that is meant to challenge the singularity of masculinity. In the essay, there are shots of several nude men.
In another article "Summer" by Emeka Ojukwu, the writer shows off his shots of his summer body (with no clothes on). There is also a post on gender fluidity. Once could say the website gives off a 'gay vibe'
"Well, to be fair, A Nasty Boy is for everyone - men and women alike - and people can tag it what they want. However, the site was especially built on the idea of acceptance and inclusion; whatever that may mean, it will always vary from one person to the next" Richard Akuson the founder of the website tells Pulse.
A Nasty Boy was launched on 17th of February 2017. It took Akuson two years to launch the website. "I'd spent nearly two years growing the courage to really do this. I'm quite excited that I overcame my doubts and went with my guts" he reveals.
Why the name A Nasty Boy?
"I'd always had the idea, but the name was indeed the hardest to come by. But I thought of the audience, and what the content would be like, and the only thing that could come to mind was Nasty. So I played on that" says Akuson.
The boss of the site says the target audience goes even beyond Nigeria. "Very large going by the rapturous reception that we've been getting and our growing readership online and followership on social media. There's obviously an audience that has been starved for so long and really tired of the usual. And it goes far beyond the underground to even the mainstream.
" And our audience goes far beyond Nigeria. We've been getting emails from creatives across Africa and most recently Eastern Europe. Our readership from our analytics shows that 40% of our readers are Nigerians, 15% are South Africans, 15% are Americans and the other bits from Europe and other parts of Africa. So, we clearly appeal to Nigerians as much as we do to the outside world. And the international press have been reaching out to us for interviews and features, which goes a long way to say we're unto something good."
Surely, there hasn't been a site like this that broaches on themes such as gender fluidity and male nudity. The website is clearly confident in its skin. It doesn't appeal to the mainstream audience but rather the alternative/underground crowd.
"We don’t imagine to cater to all: Just to fashion devotees, globally curious misfits like us and those who genuinely take pride in the things that make them stand out. Those that get us, get us!" the website proudly states. It doesn't make any apology for the NSFW photos too.
A Nasty Boy is a rebellious website not catered to the everyday taste of the average Nigerians. It's for those who come alive in dark places and are comfortable in their skin.
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