A Man’s Skin, a graphic novel on gender-based violence to wear some else’s shoes

Abstract

A Man’s Skin (2020) by Hubert and Zanzim is a graphic novel published in France and translated into several languages. The work is set in Renaissance Italy and tells the story of Bianca, a young woman forced into an arranged marriage with a man she has never met. To calm her distress, her elderly aunt presents her with a family heirloom, a magical ‘male skin’ that has been passed down from generation to generation, from woman to woman. If Bianca wears this skin, she will appear as a man. Bianca then assumes the identity of Lorenzo and gains the opportunity to enter the male world and become acquainted with it. She also experiences for the first time in her life a society from which women are excluded. The narrative employs a simple literary device to offer insights into the cultural origins of gender norms, to unmask injustices and forms of direct and indirect violence, and to prompt readers to consider the implications of dressing in someone else's shoes. The essay examines the insights offered by the work from a gendered and pedagogical perspective, emphasizing its potential as an educational tool for self-reflection, debate, awareness, and the prevention of gender-based violence with an audience of adolescents, young adults, and adults.