Define Masculinity

A study was recently published in Chatelaine titled "What’s It Like To Be A Man In 2018?" 

By interviewing a wide spectrum of men about different elements of masculinity, the authors express a multi-faceted understanding of what it means to be a man. I like this article because it is a current snapshot of how men feel about their identity.

"As adults, 64 percent now believe that being fair is a big part of what it means to be a man."

In a classroom, using the videos in this article could spur meaningful discussion, especially from male students. This information is important for the females students in the class too – in order to disrupt stereotypical views of "macho" and "unemotional" manhood they may possess. 

As a classroom activity, I could ask the class to define masculinity in small groups, then have them share their definitions with class, while I record their ideas on the board. Does the class agree about what masculinity is? Then, watch some of the videos in this article, and compare the ideas therein to the ideas recorded on the blackboard. Are they similar? Different? The comparison here is between the perception of masculinity from the students and the lived experience of the men in the article. 

"42 percent aren’t especially comfortable – or comfortable at all – talking about their emotions with their male friends. 24 percent do it all the time, and 18 percent said they share, but their friends don’t share back." 

This article is also useful because it provides a platform for discussing the emotions and feelings behind masculinity. It shows young men that they can have their own experience of masculinity and that is completely valid -- they need not ascribe to any one particular masculine ideal they may encounter in media or their friends, and this does not make them any less masculine.