A middle-aged man sits in the bathroom, often looking into the bathtub and at his watch. The sound of air bubbles rising from the water can be heard from the bathtub. The man is slightly excited and nervous at the same time. We realize that he is looking forward to something happening in the bathtub.

Suddenly, his friend emerges from the water, breathing heavily and trying to fill his lungs with air. The man looks at his watch and congratulates him. Recently, the young man broke a Guinness World Record. He spent 7 minutes underwater and released 2,000 bubbles.

Both men hug each other warmly and celebrate achieved success together.

The Unstereotype Alliance aims to challenge harmful stereotypes about young men by redefining success beyond material wealth and physical strength. Media often perpetuates outdated notions of success, contributing to regressive gender attitudes. Research indicates that 66% of millennial men feel advertising negatively impacts their sense of success. Moreover, the 15-24 age group is a critical period for identity formation, autonomy, and life skill development. The aim is to replace the current depictions of a successful man and demonstrate to GenZ that success cannot be universally defined and thus cannot be represented by a single image.

The Alliance sought to create a fresh narrative reflecting diverse, modern definitions of success, emphasizing happiness and authenticity over traditional portrayals of power and wealth.

Can you define success? Is there a universal definition? Nope, because success is a highly subjective concept that varies based on individual values, goals, and cultural contexts. We wanted to celebrate achievements that are fun and unconventional, making someone a world-class champion regardless of their strength, wealth, or power. Such an achievement could be breaking a Guinness World Record in a unique and creative way.

We aimed to highlight that success is defined by each person, meaning that any version of success is possible. In a world where men are constantly competing over financial and physical prowess, we sought to evolve the portrayal of masculinity and inspire positive change. Our goal was to create portraits of men who are happy, supportive, and friendly towards each other, even if one is trying to break a Guinness World Record in his bathtub. The main idea is that they share their achievements and happiness while building new images of a healthy masculinity.

And yes, what may not seem like a success to others, might be your own world record. So everything men need to do is to define success by themselves and to celebrate the differences that exist between them.