As a society, how are we failing our boys?
The Mask You Live In (runtime: 1h 37m) follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.
Pressured by the media, their peers, and even the adults in their lives, our protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. These gender stereotypes interconnect with race, class, and environment, creating a maze of identity issues boys and young men must navigate to become “real” men. Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media also weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the “boy crisis” and tactics to combat it. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men.
This film is being showcased as part of the Gender & Sexuality track of the 3rd annual Media Rise Festival, with support from the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development.
// CO-ORGANIZER
Marc Carr, Founder, Social Solutions
Marc is the founder of Social Solutions, an organization devoted to crowd sourcing tech solutions to solve intractable social problems. Social Solutions produces a monthly event series entitled the Social Innovation Lab. The Social Innovation Lab brings together a community of creative individuals, from a variety of backgrounds with the purpose of designing tech-focused solutions to social challenges.
