Men's Story

"Across societies, there are gender norms – dominant, mainstream expectations of how men, women, girls and boys should supposedly look, act, feel, and relate to each other, and what’s acceptable in these realms. We’re often taught that being a “real man” requires things such as being emotionally and physically tough; being big and able-bodied; being heterosexual; having lots of women; having power over one’s partner/spouse; not experiencing or expressing vulnerability, sadness or fear; being able to take care of oneself and others; and being financially successful.


Research around the world has found that rigid/dominant views about masculinity are linked in men with problems including homophobia, transphobia, rape-supportive attitudes, sexual and physical violence against women, violence against other men, bullying, substance abuse, risky driving, and behaviors that increase risk for sexually transmitted infections. Masculinity ideals which say that men should be tough and invulnerable are also linked with men’s lesser use of health care (including for mental health, injuries, cancer screening and HIV testing). In the U.S., men die years earlier than women of similar backgrounds, largely due to their higher rates of risky behaviors and lower rates of health-protective behaviors — patterns of behavior that are often linked with how men show their masculinity. Men’s enactment and experience of masculinity is also entwined with and shaped by other identities they hold, including their race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and socioeconomic status.


Also, when “masculinity” is defined through its contrast to a less-valued, stereotypical “femininity,” and when being gay is seen as being “like a girl” – which is the worst thing a guy can supposedly be – it contributes to homophobia and transphobia, which in turn contribute to problems for LGBTQQIA folks including elevated rates of substance abuse, depression, suicide, school dropout and experience of bullying and violence. Homophobia isn’t only a “gay people’s problem,” insofar as straight boys and men often go to great lengths to not “seem” gay.


Overall, boys and men often feel feel pressured to fight, show their toughness and virility, not express their emotions, sexuality or gender identity, and set aside parts of themselves – to try to fit into boxes of social expectation which, in fact, almost no one naturally fits into! And when individuals (of all genders) who buy into hazardous gender role ideas hold positions of power in social institutions, patriarchy, gender inequality and the marginalization of LGBTQQIA and other less-powerful groups become entrenched through policy. The personal and the political are fundamentally linked.
On the positive front, it’s increasingly recognized in the public health and social justice fields that working to shift gender norms in support of healthy masculinities is a productive and needed approach to improving well-being for all people.


Given all of these facts, we must create bold, ongoing, mainstream, public forums around the world where the impacts of dominant masculinity ideologies are critically discussed, where men’s beauty and humanity is celebrated, and where healthy forms of men’s human expression are highlighted and supported. We need many local revolutions in male gender norms and gender relations, toward healthy masculinities – for everyone’s benefit.





The Men's Story Project (MSP) was initiated by Dr. Jocelyn Lehrer in 2008 to help fill this gap. The core of our work is a scalable, research-based approach to creating live testimonial-sharing events, films and other media in which boys, men, and folks who identify in any way with masculinity publicly explore social ideas about masculinity through the lens of their own experience. MSP initiatives can be stand-alone, supplemented with community engagement campaigns, and incorporated into broader education programs. MSP Collectives can form around this work.
As a movement-building initiative, the MSP helps groups "crowdsource culture change" in social ideas about masculinity, in locally-led ways, through men's less-often-heard voices and stories. In each MSP production, diverse men share personal stories with an audience - with unusual candor - on topics including family relationships; men’s violence against women, violence between men; sexuality; gender identity; bullying; homo/transphobia; HIV/AIDS; personal transformations; and intersections with factors including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and religion.

  

The stories collectively celebrate men’s humanity and note costs of stereotypical/dominant notions of manhood for the presenters and people of all genders around them. Multiple mediums can be used (e.g., prose, monologues, comedy, slam poetry, dance); the events are followed by audience discussion and a community resource/action fair. MSP presenters have included celebrities, other opinion leaders, students, activists, and men who had never previously been on a stage. Our testimonial-based approach to creating live productions and films is rooted in public health research and intended for implementation/evaluation by campuses, NGOs and other groups.
The MSP website and YouTube Channel highlight local initiatives. We hope the MSP will spread widely, highlighting an international emergence of men who are helping to transform masculinity norms and gender relations – towards health and justice for all."