VOLUME 9 | ISSUE 26
THE MASK YOU LIVE IN
SECONDARY RESOURCES
NOTE TO EDUCATORS g
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The following activities are designed to
stimulate a current events discussion.
Generative in nature, these questions can
be a launching point for additional
assignments or research projects.
Teachers are encouraged to adapt these
activities to meet the contextual needs of
their classroom.
The film “The Mask You Live In” examines the way our culture defines masculinity.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• The suicide rate for males in Canada is three
times higher than the rate for females.
(Statistics Canada)
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• More boys drop out of high school than girls.
From 2009 to 2010, the dropout rate for
boys was 10.3 percent, compared to 6.6
percent for girls. The dropout rate has
decreased significantly, however, and the gap
between boys and girls has narrowed, over
the last 20 years. (Statistics Canada)
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• Studies show boys who drop out of school
most commonly do so because they are not
engaged in school, or because they want to
look for work. Girls most commonly drop out
for family or personal reasons. (Statistics
Canada)
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• Men are more likely than women to become
the victims of the most severe levels of
physical violence, and are more likely to have
a weapon used against them. (Department of
Justice)
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• Although women are sexually assaulted far
more than men, boys are 2.5 times more
likely to be sexually assaulted in an
institutional setting such as a school.
(Department of Justice)
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• Almost half of the homeless population in
Canada—47.5 percent—are single men
between the ages of 25 and 55. Another 20
percent of homeless are youth 16-24, and
two thirds of these are boys. (Wellesley
Institute)
In some cases, reading the article with
students may be appropriate, coupled with
reviewing the information sheet to further
explore the concepts and contexts being
discussed. From here, teachers can select
from the questions provided below. The
activity is structured to introduce students
to the issues, then allow them to explore
and apply their learnings. Students are
encouraged to further reflect on the issues.
KEY TERMS
Masculinity—The characteristics
associated with being a man.
Stereotype—A common but overly
simplified—and sometimes inaccurate—
image or description of a group of a
particular people or things. For example:
“Africans are poor” is an inaccurate
stereotype.
Empathy—The ability to understand and
care about the feelings of others.
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A N I N I T I AT I V E O F
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THEMES AND COURSE CONNECTIONS • Themes: Education, Global Issues, Values and Ethics
• Course Connections: The Arts, Language, Social Studies
On the board create a T-chart with the following two categories: Men
and Women.
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Men
MATERIALS • Front board
• Student journals or note paper
• Writing utensils
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SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS AND LEARNING GOALS Students will:
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Develop and express responses to issues and problems.
Reassess their responses to issues on the basis of new information.
Participate in active group work and class discussions.
Communicate effectively in writing, orally or visually.
Demonstrate the ability to think critically.
Develop, express and defend a position on an issue.
MAP IT
Have students locate the different locations mentioned in the article
to gain an understanding of the expanse and involvement of this
issue.
• California, United States
• Canada
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DISCUSS 1. List common stereotypes that are associated with men and
women.
2. What is meant by “the mask you live in”?
3. Based on the article and/or your own experience, do you
agree that boys are made to wear a mask? Why? How is it
the same or different for girls?
4. How does our culture and media define and portray men?
Does hyper-masculinity harm our boys? Why and how?
5. What does the saying “boys will be boys” mean to you? How
does the saying reinforce how our culture regards
masculinity?
6. What challenges do you think men and boys silently face?
Are these the same/different challenges for women and
girls? Explain.
7. Do you think women’s expectations of men have been
affected by the way our culture perceives and defines
masculinity? Explain.
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DIVE DEEPER
For this activity gather a bunch of magazines (male-oriented and
female oriented magazines) and distribute them to groups of three to
four students. Tell the class to imagine they are coming to this planet
for the first time and these magazines will serve as an example for
learning how men and women are supposed to act and look on this
planet.
A N I N I T I AT I V E O F
Women
In their groups, ask students to deconstruct the advertisements (ads)
found in the magazines and jot down their observations of how men
and women are represented. Advise students to consider how gender
roles, body image, careers and personalities are also depicted.
Once the class has collected enough information, have each group take
turns going up to the board to write down one observation
underneath each category. Remind them that they are from another
planet and therefore bring no bias to their observations. Continue this
exercise until every group member has taken a turn. Next, hold a class
discussion using the following questions:
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• What stereotypes would you associate with the men in the ads?
What about the women? What beliefs of masculinity and
femininity do they promote?
• Based on what you observed, how would you define masculinity?
• How can these images affect young boys and their self-identity? Are
these images a positive or negative influence for young boys?
• What sorts of props or settings are used in male ads? How do the
props or settings contribute to the masculine stereotype?
Further discussion and activity
• Which stereotypes that you already know about were confirmed by
gender representation in the ads?
• What surprised you the most about gender representations in ads?
• How can advertisers break away from gender stereotypes in their
ads?
As a class brainstorm positive images of masculinity. In their groups
students will create an advertisement that promotes a more positive
image of masculinity. Students will submit a drawing of their ads and
present it in the form of a twenty second commercial in front of their
classmates.
Provide students with the following checklist for their miniadvertisement project:
• A drawing of the ad that includes a featured product/service and a
positive representation of masculinity (one per group).
• One paragraph explanation of why they chose that particular
advertisement to promote a positive image of masculinity (one per
group).
• Twenty second commercial of their ad.