Last week, The Sunday Times Style magazine asked us to contribute to an article. The subject matter? Britain's modern man.

A topic close to many of our hearts so, with a second thought, we jumped into action.

The article had been sparked by Diane Abbott's comments late last month about the crisis men face in today's society.

Here on Hanbury Street, we wanted to defend masculinity 2.0. To flag some of the pressures on today's male. To highlight the expectations on his shoulders.

Our Wieden's words of wisdom ran in today's edition so, for those of you who who didn't pick up a copy or who don't subscribe online, here's our little snippet.

And for those of you, man or woman, without sensational eyesight, here are our words in regular-sized type:

"Grit and wit. Fit. Good with I.T."

Today's men wobble the same exhilarating, exhausting cultural tightrope trod by their mothers, the plate-spinning 1990s superwomen who had it all. Modern masculinity seems to mean being damn brilliant at everything. All the time. Serenely. The pressure to earn a crust may well be shared, but ditto housework and childcare. He must also ooze style, run ultramarathons, text back promptly, marinate, marvel at Strictly, open jars, crack funnies, know cool music, smell good, work tech devices, pick up his socks and, if necessary, chop wood. Let's hear it for modern man. Never has more been expected.

Calling all modern men: if after reading this piece, which was effortlessly penned by Beth Bentley, you identify with our thoughts, then we salute you.

And, if you're wondering who personifies this modern man for all seasons, well isn't it obvious?

After their provocative video shot on Vine, our very own
creative Katie Harrison and directing partner Charlotte Freeston are back with
an equally titillating teaser for American musician Adam Gnade.

Adam Gnade & The Hot Earth All-Stars – You Got Mean from SON on Vimeo. 

Based on the game ‘seven minutes in heaven’ where two teenagers are dared to make out
in a cupboard, SON show us the darker side of human instincts. Primitive
psychological urges drive the teenagers as animal instincts are slowly
highlighted in their behaviour. SON hint at power of the ‘id’ in human psychology as a wilder force than our egos, and its
mirroring of the animal inside all of us. They also touch upon the vulnerable
side of being human, often something which can force our survival instincts to
the surface.

‘Of course human psychology is a pretty vast terrain, but through a fragment of it we wanted to create a playful, no-holds-barred video, where we explored the drive of the id, seeing our narcissistic, survival and primitive impulses at play.’ Charlotte 

Through the intimacy captured in the video SON
have "managed to satisfy the human urge to play the voyeur, as well as creating a
space both intimate and awkward, personal and completely revealing, which
speaks to us as human beings. Sensing the actual tension, passion and violence
in the video is made possible by its truly up-close and personal nature".

‘Being
able to call upon friends in our community to make our shoots possible is
something we feel is very important, allowing us to capture things which are
very real and intimate, and something that this video embodies wholly.’
Katie  

The video premiered on the 405 last week and can currently be viewed over on Promo
News.