The Mask You Live In 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 peer group, 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 circumstance, 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.
“Changed my life”
“The Mask You Live In changed my life. [It] is the first documentary I’ve seen that is not only for me, but about me.”
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“We’ve got to raise up a healthier generation of boys”
“To eradicate male violence toward women, we’ve got to raise up a healthier generation of boys that become men, that learn how to be emotionally connected and. . .respect other human beings.”
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Joe Ehrman Founder, Coach for America @ House of Ruth Screening with the Baltimore Ravens 2015 Rookie Class
THE ISSUE
Research shows that compared to girls, boys in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with a behavior disorder, prescribed stimulant medications, fail out of school, binge drink, commit a violent crime, and/or take their own lives.
HOW TO WATCH
Help shape the national conversation around healthy masculinity by hosting a screening of The Mask You Live In. With the right screening resources, you can arrange a screening in a few easy steps. Total Running Time: 1h 37m. Stream, buy or license the film HERE.
RESOURCES
CURRICULUM
FAQs
Synopsis:
Filmmaker: Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Runtime: 97 minutes
The Mask You Live In 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
peer group, 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 circumstance, 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.About The Filmmaker
She also executive produced the Emmy Award-Winning and Academy Award- Nominated documentary The Invisible War, and is an executive producer on the documentary The Hunting Ground. She is currently in production on her third film, The Great American Dream. When she is not running The Representation Project and making documentaries, she serves as a Global Advisory Board member of the Dove Self Esteem Project, co-chair of We Day California, a commissioner on the Girl Scouts’ Healthy Media Commission, and on the Advisory Council for the Imagine Kids Bus Project. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and their four young children. – See more at: //therepresentationproject.org/about/#team