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Norms In The Mask You Live In

830 Words4 Pages

Society tends to ignore the struggle of masculine norms men face everyday. In the film, “The Mask You Live In”, various ages of men discuss what it is like to live in a society filled with sexism and masculine norms. In the film, it is shown the impact of these norms society puts forth for men is catastrophic and negatively impacts their mental health. A few masculine norms that are found within the film are, self-reliance, violence, power over women, winning and risk-taking.

Self-reliance is a big topic to cover in regards to masculine norms. This norm is talked about through the entire film and is found to be one of the most important. It stems back to men growing up to believe that any emotions besides anger, is not to be expressed or talked …show more content…

The film talks about how it is more socially acceptable to use substances such as alcohol and drugs than it is to not use them. It is common for men to take risks even when they are uncomfortable because they want to be accepted by their peers and friends. It is so important to be accepted that men are more likely to do things they know are wrong, but feel obligated to do them anyway because of the pressure society puts on men to be “manly”. The movies men watch are filled with the brave, masculine risk-takers that are athletic and have the ideal body types. Men feel the need to be those types of men, which are not afraid of anything and take risks.

The sexism and masculine norms put out by society are a struggle for men everyday. Men’s mental health is seriously impacted by sexism and masculine norms set out by society. In the film, “The Mask You Live In”, young boys and men talk about their experiences dealing with these norms and how it has affected them today and continues to impact them. Men have to face masculine norms such as, violence, self-reliance, power over women, winning and risk-taking. These brave men go against the societal idea for men and talk about how it feels to be different in a society that is telling you different is

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