The Mask You Live In (3 Questions)
The Mask You Live In
- As you review the attached presentation, what do you think our societies expectation of masculine males is and how is it affecting boys and men?
- Think about what a role should be, what values and traits would you look for?
- Do you think today’s athletes are good examples of what a masculine male is and are they role models that people should look up to? Why or why not?
The Mask You Live In
Peer presentation
Summary
The Mask You Live In is a documentary film from 2015 from director Jennifer Siebel Newsom that takes a look at how our societies culture and view of masculinity is affecting boys and men today
We ask the question, is our definition of masculinity flawed?
Emotional Development
Boys and girls start out very similar emotionally. Masculinity is an aspect of the greater gender roles constructed by societal values and traditions. Unfortunately, traditional American gender roles stifle healthy emotional development in boys
Acknowledging emotions other than anger and defiance are effeminized and ridiculed in boys
Young boys are taught to hide and ignore emotions which leads to
Frustration
Anger
Misbehavior
Acting out
Violence
Bad grades
Reclusiveness
Male Role Models
Media and Sports
Strive for the following traits/characteristics
Money
Power
Prowess
Swagger
Dominant
Strong
Selfish
Divorce and single parent homes
No father/male figure at home
Abusive dating partners
Gangs
Drinking and Partying
Sex, sex, sex
Peer Pressure
Joe Ehrmann, coach and former NFL player, states in the movie “the great myth in America today is that sports builds character.. Sports does not build character unless a coach teaches it and models it” (Newsom, 2015)
Our culture portrays certain stereo types of what role models are for you boys and young men to look up to..
But in reality they are dealing with
Peer Pressure
Alpha male hierarchy
Bullying
Group shaming
Pecking order
Exclusiveness
Name calling
Sissy
Momma’s boy
Wuss
Little girl
Boys have to deal at a very early age, many as young as pre-school, with expectations of what it means to be a “man”
Cultural Influences (Nurture)
Boys are taught from early on that
Definite blue for boys vs pink for girls
Toys – army men, footballs
Clothing – camo
Guns for boys, dolls for girls
A Real Man
Athletic
Good looking
Quiet and strong
Womanizers
Women are seen as
Sexual Objects
Pornography
Tools of physical gratification
Things
Trophies
Boys tend to lean toward violent video games
Comparing nurture vs nature, the documentary explores the influences via examples of commercials for boys vs girls…
As a result of all this…
Biological Influences (Nature)
Dopamine rush from violence and nudity is addictive
Hormones are silent drivers of personality and behavior
Society encourages girls to acknowledge and talk about their emotions
Media examples of “real men” generally stay in the orange, red, and purple sections of this emotional spectrum graphic
Boys who exhibit emotions in the rest of the spectrum are viewed as weak, feminine, and are ridiculed
Source: https://blog.bufferapp.com/science-of-emotion-in-marketing
Another view of what masculinity means to men
The Mask You Live in has a runtime of 1 hour 37 minutes but the link below also references an article and short video from the HuffingtonPost.com on the topic
The article questions “in a world of both gender inequity and rapidly shifting gender roles, what does masculinity really mean?” (Genuske, Gray & Vagianos, 2015)
The article closes with saying “every man we spoke to agreed on is that having fewer limitations on what men and women “should” and “shouldn’t” do is a win for everyone” (Genuske, Gray & Vagianos, 2015)
View the video here – com/2015/01/23/what-masculinity-means-to-men_n_6527710.html”>https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/what-masculinity-means-to-men_n_6527710.html #
Conclusion
The Mask You Live in takes time to point out the flaws in todays perception of masculinity but fails to deliver a message of how to change it
The film underscores the need for greater self-awareness and a more balanced approach to gender roles so boys and men are more likely to develop into well-adjusted members of society
This topic raises the importance of proper role models and the harmful influence of violent, dominant male stereotypes in media
Does the definition of masculinity in our culture deprive boys and men from exploring different aspects of their identities?
References
Genuske, A., Gray, E., & Vagianos, A. (2015, January 23). This Is What Masculinity Really Means To Men. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/what-masculinity-means-to-men_n_6527710.html #
Newsom, Jennifer S. (Director). (2015). The Mask You Live In [Motion picture]. USA: The Representation Project.
The Mask You Live In
Peer presentation
Intercultural Communications
Summary
The Mask You Live In is a documentary film from 2015 from director Jennifer Siebel Newsom that takes a look at how our societies culture and view of masculinity is affecting boys and men today
We ask the question, is our definition of masculinity flawed?
Emotional Development
Boys and girls start out very similar emotionally. Masculinity is an aspect of the greater gender roles constructed by societal values and traditions. Unfortunately, traditional American gender roles stifle healthy emotional development in boys
Acknowledging emotions other than anger and defiance are effeminized and ridiculed in boys
Young boys are taught to hide and ignore emotions which leads to
Frustration
Anger
Misbehavior
Acting out
Violence
Bad grades
Reclusiveness
Male Role Models
Media and Sports
Strive for the following traits/characteristics
Money
Power
Prowess
Swagger
Dominant
Strong
Selfish
Divorce and single parent homes
No father/male figure at home
Abusive dating partners
Gangs
Drinking and Partying
Sex, sex, sex
Peer Pressure
Joe Ehrmann, coach and former NFL player, states in the movie “the great myth in America today is that sports builds character.. Sports does not build character unless a coach teaches it and models it” (Newsom, 2015)
Our culture portrays certain stereo types of what role models are for you boys and young men to look up to..
But in reality they are dealing with
Peer Pressure
Alpha male hierarchy
Bullying
Group shaming
Pecking order
Exclusiveness
Name calling
Sissy
Momma’s boy
Wuss
Little girl
Boys have to deal at a very early age, many as young as pre-school, with expectations of what it means to be a “man”
Cultural Influences (Nurture)
Boys are taught from early on that
Definite blue for boys vs pink for girls
Toys – army men, footballs
Clothing – camo
Guns for boys, dolls for girls
A Real Man
Athletic
Good looking
Quiet and strong
Womanizers
Women are seen as
Sexual Objects
Pornography
Tools of physical gratification
Things
Trophies
Boys tend to lean toward violent video games
Comparing nurture vs nature, the documentary explores the influences via examples of commercials for boys vs girls…
As a result of all this…
Biological Influences (Nature)
Dopamine rush from violence and nudity is addictive
Hormones are silent drivers of personality and behavior
Society encourages girls to acknowledge and talk about their emotions
Media examples of “real men” generally stay in the orange, red, and purple sections of this emotional spectrum graphic
Boys who exhibit emotions in the rest of the spectrum are viewed as weak, feminine, and are ridiculed
Source: https://blog.bufferapp.com/science-of-emotion-in-marketing
Another view of what masculinity means to men
The Mask You Live in has a runtime of 1 hour 37 minutes but the link below also references an article and short video from the HuffingtonPost.com on the topic
The article questions “in a world of both gender inequity and rapidly shifting gender roles, what does masculinity really mean?” (Genuske, Gray & Vagianos, 2015)
The article closes with saying “every man we spoke to agreed on is that having fewer limitations on what men and women “should” and “shouldn’t” do is a win for everyone” (Genuske, Gray & Vagianos, 2015)
View the video here – https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/what-masculinity-means-to-men_n_6527710.html #
Conclusion
The Mask You Live in takes time to point out the flaws in todays perception of masculinity but fails to deliver a message of how to change it
The film underscores the need for greater self-awareness and a more balanced approach to gender roles so boys and men are more likely to develop into well-adjusted members of society
This topic raises the importance of proper role models and the harmful influence of violent, dominant male stereotypes in media
Does the definition of masculinity in our culture deprive boys and men from exploring different aspects of their identities?
References
Genuske, A., Gray, E., & Vagianos, A. (2015, January 23). This Is What Masculinity Really Means To Men. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/what-masculinity-means-to-men_n_6527710.html #
Newsom, Jennifer S. (Director). (2015). The Mask You Live In [Motion picture]. USA: The Representation Project.
