Man

box

Objective

Increase awareness of reward and punishment systems connected to social norms
Increase acceptance of people who are seen as “outside” the manbox
Increase resolve to act according to what feels right rather than what is manly

20-30 minutes
13-16 years
Boys/Girls
4-30 participants

Time,
Age,
Target,
Number of participants


Materials
Video Calling software, Search Engines to look for photos, software to display photos/text and to share screen


Guidelines for educators
Optional: Screen the movie “På golvet” from Machofabriken or another video describing the process of building a masculinity/gender based identity. Let the participants discuss the video in groups. What was the movie about? What was the person doing and why? Reflections?

What happens if you do not live up to these expectations? Do you think that it is possible to live your whole life within the box and never step outside of it?
How would it feel to always make sure to be all of those things?
We know that most people fall completely or partly outside of this box. And some would like to be more outside of the box, but fear the repercussions.
How can we make it easier to be outside of the box and show people that they are brave for standing outside of it despite the norms?

Follow-up
Discuss what happened and what surprises the participants the most.
Reflexive sentence
…