Boys To Men Conference Report
Media Messages About Masculinity, September 1999

Boys to Men: Conference Report on Media Messages About Masculinity - 1999
This 24-page report outlines the many difficulties boys face in an era of highly-publicized acts of violence by young males.
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Introduction
Children Now is pleased to present this report on the Sixth Annual Children & the Media Conference. This year's topic, Boys to Men: Media Messages About Masculinity, continues our exploration of the media's role in identity formation among young people. Earlier conferences, which focused on media portrayals of girls (Reflections of Girls in the Media) and images of race & class (A Different World), built upon emerging work surrounding these important issues. This year's examination broke new ground.

In part as a result of the horrific series of tragedies across the country, there has been important media and academic attention paid to the overall status of our nation's boys, particularly in relation to violence. However, research into the role and potential influence of the media on boys was scant to none. The Children Now research commissioned for this conference, and fully reported in companion publications, revealed important new findings. These findings, along with the thoughtful keynote address by Harvard psychologist, Dr. William Pollack, provided the platform for a series of stimulating panel discussions.

The panels were organized around three themes. Breaking the Boy Code addressed media representations of men's emotions and their relationships. Boy Meets World considered how the media portrays masculine success and reinforces masculine ideals and values. Must Boys be Boys? entered the provocative arena of action, adventure, and aggression, and explored the potential for such a genre without violence. The discussions which emerged from these panels are summarized in this report through classic masculine icons-- The Joker, The Jock, The Strong Silent Type, The Big Shot, and The Action Hero. Additionally, the ideas and concerns from a panel of thoughtful young people from the Los Angeles area brought important insights to the conference.

Threaded throughout this report is the clear understanding that the media is not to blame for the troubling status of boys today, but does indeed reinforce society's notions about manliness and masculinity. Many media leaders who participated recognized that subtle and unexamined links between media messages and the healthy development of boys offer a challenge and an opportunity. The media can broaden the images and messages that define masculinity. The media can offer excitement and adventure without violence. The media can expand the job description of "hero." The media can influence the life script for a generation of American boys.