Inspired by an anonymous post on 4chan's /fit/, the work examines how male insecurities materialize themselves in society and consumer goods. Building on Joshua Citarella's article “Auto Experiment: Hyper Masculinity,” in which he follows a user who describes his routine of drinking onion juice daily to increase his testosterone, the project presents sigma power: onion reaper, a testosterone boosting supplement drink. This fictional product comments on the growing trend of pointlessly gendered products like Dude Wipes, and how hyper-masculine branding acts as gender affirming care for insecure cis-men.
The OP argues that drinking onion juice is the key to restoring traditional values globally, linking the high onion consumption in Poland to the 2017 nationalist uprisings in Warsaw. Borrowing from a symbol commonly used by Polish nationalists, Mieczyk Chrobrego (a sword wrapped in Poland's national flag), I wanted to fabricate a subsequent relic to represent the masculine onion-consumer movement. This resulted in a fantasy inspired sword with an onion emblem on the hilt, drawing on the user's story. The artifact is displayed on flag featuring a screenshot of the original post, draped over a pedastal.
