SHELBY OSBOURN

Shelby Osbourn is an artist and designer from NWA whose passion lies most in typography and human-centered design. She works as a Creative Intern teaching and mentoring for the Teen Action and Support Center located on Emma in Springdale, AR. She is a blunt, feisty, sarcastic taurus with an affinity for cereal and her family. Her focus for this final degree project was millennial men and the obstacles they face around expressing themselves emotionally within their relationships.

___

“FRANKLY, MEN ARE ALLOWED TO DISPLAY EMOTIONS.” 

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 69.67% of completed suicides in the United States are carried out by white men. What if a resource could support Gen Y men in sustaining emotional stability within their relationships? These alarming statistics and this intriguing inquiry became the genesis for Shelby Osbourn’s final degree project. It was paramount throughout the research process to dive deep and get to the root of emotional instability within men. An extensive literature review, concept-mapping, internet forum deep-dives, and the viewing of various documentaries pertaining to the subject led to a plethora of information on the impact gendered parenting roles have on an individual and how men learn to assert themselves in society.

The proposed solution is called MAYL: a subscription service of sorts with a speculative twist. What starts as a helpful suggestion from a close family member, partner, or friend turns into a supportive chatbot that interacts with users through text messaging in order to build rapport. Ideally, this eventually leads to a preferable future where the user subscribes for monthly boxes filled with tangible, personalized resources in order to support and encourage them to connect with those around them, get curious about their interests, and discover personal growth and fulfillment through authenticity and vulnerability in their day-to-day lives. 

Shelby was interested in finding a solution that could provide tools, language, and space to potentially alleviate toxic masculinity within Westernized cultures, help men to feel less isolated in their communities, provide healthy resources for building boundaries and communicating emotions, and shape how men show up in the world. The final design outcome addresses an underlying fear of alienation and restricted gender norms by providing a task-oriented service. This solution meets the users’ needs of facilitating healthy relationships and flexing the muscle of human connection and emotional communication.