Podcasts about remoy

Just to clarify, we're not talking about a bear succeeding at being chosen over a man in the woods. We mean the show! The Bear continues to be a favorite at TV award shows, and this year is no different. Naturally, your hosts talked about it. But first, they took a look at the show that rivalled it last year with just as many Enny wins. Succession. Your favorite hosts are joined by Professor of Race, Gender and Sexuality at Simmons University, Suzanne Leonard.The crew takes a moment to acknowledge the SAG nominees. We love when deserving people get their flowers.With The Bear being nominated, the crew decides to talk MASKulinity in the show, but first, they talk about a previous winner that reminds us all a bit too much of real life: Succession.Samantha takes us through some interesting facts about the family that Succession is based on.Suzanne lets us know what attracts her about the show. Are you a bit voyeuristic like her and Samantha are when it comes to this show? What is it about miserable rich people that draws our attention?With a quick synopsis of Succession, Samantha breaks down the similarities between the Fox News Murdochs and their fictional counterparts.. A power struggle between a father and his children for the head seat of the company, something that provides a particular comment on fatherhood, power, and MASKulinity in our current social and political moment.Why are we talking about this show? Suzanne and Samantha apprise Remoy of why it's helpful for us to dissect this type of patriarchal leadership.Suzanne makes an important note on mourning traditional media, which feels like it might be dying out, but is it?So much political, economic, and social power is concentrated in families with Murdochs, Trumps, and Maxwells, it's worth examining the BTS of these powerful families through this show.Exactly how powerful are these nepotistic families? The crew runs down the list of the Murdochs' empire and their impactful media (and legal) history and MASKulinity.SPOILER ALERT: Samantha presents some scenes from Succession for Remoy to react to. Suzanne weighs in.The fatherhood that Logan Roy displays can be mapped onto Trump's leadership of both his family and the US as a country: we sustain his legacy.Wielding real power and setting the tone for men's MASKulinity both in their families and in our larger society are staples of the all-powerful patriarchs.Suzanne highlights the ruthlessness of the powerful masculinity in the fatherhood displayed and how damaging it is to people around the folks who perform that masculinity. It is reflected in all these clips. Remoy makes a poignant point about America's need for a father figure running the country.The crew continues on to discuss crowd favorite, The Bear. Remoy points out that if Shrinking is the best way to deal with MASKulinity's woes, and Succession is the most toxic, The Bear falls somewhere in the middle.Remoy provides a great synopsis of the show, highlighting how differently it deals with masculinity compared to Succession.We examine the relationships stemming from Carmy's newfound leadership.Carmy and Syd's relationship represents a great mixed-gender leadership collaboration for this show. Richie's evolution as a person as well as the rest of the cast's reflected the power of a connected leadership.The Bear deals with mental health in an immensely different way from Succession. Carmy relies on those around him to get better while Kendall schemes while wielding power as his father does.The Bear chronicles changing dynamics in a workplace as does Succession. The three draw out the differences and few similarities between masculinities in the two shows.Suzanne highlights how class creates a different landscape than the opulent SuccessionIn our deep dive, Suzanne shares some great nuggets in her research on gender in powerful structures.We dive into questions about how family structures impacted our recent election of an all-powerful patriarch.We get into how women hold up these power structures. Suzanne's research has looked at how women's own power is garnered through all-powerful couples.Suzanne makes points on whiteness and how racial hierarchies impact this all-powerful dynamic.OK, now we're really outta here! See you soonish!

In this final episode of the season, Samantha and Remoy tackle a question that's been at the heart of so many conversations lately: Are men truly lonely? It's a topic that hits home for so many of us, especially as we think about how gender norms shape not just our actions but our deepest connections.Luckily, The Pew Research Center has been hard at work exploring these very questions. Their latest report, Men, Women, and Social Connections, sheds light on the gendered trends shaping relationships in America today. Samantha had the chance to sit down with Kim Parker, one of the report's lead researchers, to dig into the findings. And in this episode, she brings all those insights back to Remoy. Samantha starts by asking Remoy a big question: How optimistic is he about life these days? Turns out, his answer puts him in the minority. Pew found that 58% of Americans lean optimistic, while 42% do not.Kim Parker shares the backstory behind this paper and how it fits into Pew's larger research initiative on gender and masculinity. It's all part of a broader effort to understand how Americans are thinking and feeling about these issues in real time.The big question: Are men lonelier than women? Samantha reveals the surprising (albeit nuanced) findings to Remoy, and the two dive into why this narrative about men and loneliness has taken hold.Pew's research uncovered fascinating details about men's and women's social networks. On the surface, they don't look that different. But dig deeper, and you find differences in how men and women use and interact with the people around them.Remoy gets candid about his own experiences, admitting that even with a great support system, reaching out for help as a man still feels like a major challenge.Samantha asks Kim about the connection between this report and Pew's earlier findings in How Americans See Men and Masculinity. Why do Americans say they want men to be more caring and vulnerable, yet men still struggle to seek support?The loneliness conversation takes an unexpected turn when Samantha reveals which group of people Pew identified as being lonelier than most. Spoiler: It involves the internet—and the way technology has become an inseparable part of their everyday lives.Samantha and Kim unpack how tech dependence can create unique barriers to connection, making it especially hard for this group to break out of loneliness.Finally, Samantha and Remoy reflect on the importance of self-care and taking a step back when needed. With everything happening in the world, it's a reminder we all need.Important Note: MASKulinity is taking a few months off to rest, recharge, and come back stronger than ever. We're so grateful to all of you who've joined us on this journey. Stay tuned for more powerful, curious stories about how masculinity shapes our world—and how we can reshape it together. See you soon!

We're at the start of award season, so it's a perfect time to continue exploring MASKulinity on TV. This week, Samantha and Remoy walk each other through popular shows they've watched and ask, How are men and masculinity represented in these shows? Are they challenging the norm of MASKulinity or reinforcing it?Samantha starts off with a nod to Golden Globe-nominated Nobody Wants This for its evolved masculinity moments. Adam Brody has been in his nurturing masculinity bag since the early 2000s and we're here for it! She then winds our TVs back to the late ‘90s for a look at a breakthrough TV show at the time: Sex and The City.Remoy questions focusing on men while talking about a show that centers women. At any other time, Samantha would agree, butcher contends that it is helpful to see how women can perpetuate patriarchy.What are men like in a TV show that entirely focuses on the dating and sex lives of attractive women? Samantha reflects back on the different love interests in the show and how their viability as a partner was measured.Carrie's main love interests, Mr. Big and Aidan, embodied two different sides of the coin that is traditional masculinity. Neither challenge patriarchal norms, still, it's worth asking: Why would an emotionally unavailable tycoon be a better suited partner than a nurturing provider? Short answer: patriarchal tropes. Long answer: Nice guys finish last in the patriarchy, and SATC is no different.Remoy acknowledges his own past as a Mr. Big type, proving that emotional unavailability doesn't have to be lifelong!Remoy didn't regret missing the show, but he couldn't help but wonder, Do these stereotypical dating situations on TV inform our real dating lives or is it the other way around? Patriarchy didn't just impact dating in SATC. Casual homophobia, racism, and transphobia were peppered throughout the show. The two call out that SATC touted itself as a feminist show, but only explored well-to-do, slim white women's dating and sex lives. Everyone else does feel othered including men, who are one-dimensional and just meant to be chosen.Samantha admits why she continued to watch the show despite all these tropes. She reflects on her younger self's patriarchal leanings. There were good things about SATC. While missing clear opportunities to be inclusive and well-rounded in their depictions of dating life in New York City, Where the characters in the MASK On, MASK Off game from our “TV Dads” episode grappled with masculinity, SATC sticks to traditional expectations of masculinity by condensing male characters into three types. [13:00] Do you agree? Let us know!Samantha ends her story with a quick note on the SATC reboot, And Just Like That.People have been vocal about how the show is forcibly inclusive.Samantha shares some examples and opines on how evolved the reboot is compared to the old show.What your verdict? Has this franchise evolved? Holler at us! @ maskulinitypodRemoy takes the mic and picks up where he left off with his new favorite show, Shrinking.In Shrinking, men, and characters in general, are imparted with nuance and humanity that was clearly missing from SATC's supporting characters.Remoy maintains his fave was snubbed at the Golden Globes and attempts to foster appreciation in Samantha for his new show.He shares a few clips from the show and lets Samantha ask clarifying questions about the show.Cue in intergenerational friendships, community problem-solving, open communication with teenage children, and healthy grey-area relationships between men and women.Shrinking does what And Just Like That attempted to do but in a realistic and relatable manner.Changing neighborhood dynamics leads folks to call out racist behavior, rather than yearning for the past. Remoy breaks down how characters deal with grief and changing dynamics in their lives.Samantha immediately takes to Derek and Remoy gives her the lowdown.In this ensemble cast, there are various folks support each other.The relationship between father and daughter is quite moving.Remoy gives praise to the writing of the show gracefully weaving themesReferenced on this episode:Our episode on TV DadsThe paper that informed Samantha's gamifying of TV dads? That's–Laughing at Men: Masculinities in Contemporary SitcomsOur other TV episode: The Fresh Prince and

Going off an earlier episode where Samantha tested Remoy's musical knowledge, this week Samantha checks in on what Remoy knows about TV. Through round after round, our two co hosts explore how TV dads and masculinity have evolved over the decades.Samantha kicks things off with a clip of Al Bundy and his daughter Kelly. Does Remoy remember anything about this dysfunctional yet iconic duo? And what does our laughter about their relationship on Married With Children tell us about fatherhood three decades ago?Bonus Episode:  Remoy has to know. Was Samantha's own relationship with her father's anything like Al and Kelly's?You can't not talk 90's TV Dads and not think TGIF: Samantha highlights a heartfelt moment between Carl and Eddie Winslow, one of the few Black father-son relationships on 90s TV.They break down how Family Matters portrayed manhood and why this mattered for representation at the time.Samantha skips forward a decade or two to show Remoy the ultimate suburban survivalist: Modern Family's Phil Dunphy has a near-death epiphany on a camping trip. Remoy reflects on how Phil represents a new era of goofy yet emotionally vulnerable TV dads.You can't not talk TV and not talk animation. But it isn't Bart and Homer for Samantha. It's Bob Belcher from Bob's Burgers who in a tender and hilariously awkward clip bonds with his daughter Tina during a “hairy” situation.Samantha wants to know. Are there any African daughters out there who their father shared in the pain  of getting their legs waxed in solidarity? If so, email us at maskulinitypodcast@gmail.comAnother Black father and duo + Schmitt. No it's not New Girl. It's The Neighborhood on CBS.TV laugh tracks aside, Samantha and Remoy take a moment to appreciate a really tender and evolved, but not perfect, moment in modern TV.Samantha shows Remoy a lesser seen moment on TV: An immigrant father-son moment from the crowd favorite Fresh off the Boat.A sweet moment portrayed on the screen for an Asian dad. But would huckster chef Eddie Huang, whose life story the show was modeled off of, approve? Would Remoy?What do you think after hearing the clip? Hit us at our inboxes and let us know maskulinitypodcast@gmail.com.Remoy is sold and wants to play. He shares with Samantha a moment from a new comedy he's been loving. Any guesses to what that series is?Let's just say Harrison Ford playing a therapist and being vulnerable on screen with Jason Segel and many more is a win for both Samantha and Remoy as they appreciate where TV has come over 30 years. Referenced on this episode:The paper that informed Samantha's gamifying of TV dads? That's–Laughing at Men: Masculinities in Contemporary SitcomsOur guide to navigate being Home ALONE for the HolidaysOur new classic episode: The Fresh Prince and

This week, we're excited to bring a conversation from NGM Pathways' live community event to our feed. The good folks at our presenting organization, Next Gen Men, hosted Samantha and Remoy for a Q&A session about the US election. We stop just short of the audience Q&A to maintain privacy of the participants. Tune in!Remoy and Samantha start out with a shout-out to self-care. It's been a month since the election and some tough conversations with loved ones may have happened/may be coming up—it's important to take a moment for ourselves.Therapy is still the greatest thing ever. Remoy shouts out his own therapist and Samantha is excited to return this week.Male loneliness continues to be high—Samantha calls back the mental health conversation they had with resident counselor Justin Lioi this time last year.Next Gen Men's new community manager, Charlotte Kinloch, starts out with land acknowledgments. We remember that we are on stolen land both in the US and in Canada, as we start the conversation. Charlotte leads us into unpacking the election…Was this election gendered? It certainly didn't have to be but it was. A white male convicted felon being allowed to run and being measured against the most qualified presidential candidate in recent times certainly feels gendered. Well, it feels supremacist.Samantha and Remoy point out that many other factors were certainly implicated in Americans' decision to vote Trump, but gender cannot be ignored.What was  surprising about the PEW findings from the pre-election episode?Right before the election, Juliana Horowitz from PEW Research Center came on the pod and shared Americans' feelings on men and masculinity. Men's progress and character traits in men were among the most surprising, particularly given the narratives promoted by the manosphere.As Horowitz shared during that episode, which Samantha brought up again now, not blaming women for men's lack of progress doesn't mean that women's progress is appreciated. This points to a patriarchal perspective prevailing among Americans.Samantha sidebars about why men have made less progress than women in the past few decades. PEW Research Center had a study on that as well…Remoy places us within a larger international context. Trump wasn't the only one elected as a result of populist efforts.Faith in education has dropped drastically, and education is viewed as the establishment.How was Trump able to paint himself as a man of the people even though he is a billionaire who rubs elbows with other billionaires? Remoy gives his take.If, as we discovered during our conversation with PEW Center's Senior Associate Director of Research, Juliana Horowitz, Americans value women's leadership and “feminine” traits being valuable to leadership, how did Donald Trump emerge as elected leader for this country yet again?Remoy reflects back on his conservative background before he became liberal and how much masculinity is entrenched in American culture history.Samantha points out that messaging around patriarchal leadership is heavily funded by nontraditional sources and funneled to nontraditional information and news sources. A win for the anti-establishment strategy.The manosphere and its spaces also provide something that men have trouble getting elsewhere.Remoy highlights the need for regulation on social media with a clear solution.How have evolving gender roles impacted the American public?PEW's research found that Americans don't blame men's lack of progress on women's continued progress, but men are still behind.Remoy brings up the biggest point of all, which is the economy. Many folks who vote conservative cite the economy as their main reason for doing so. This election was no different. This has impacted men in a real way, challenging the notion that they are providers. And some of their women spouses voted to ensure that their male partners could get better financially.Samantha highlights the ways in which the economy has already been impacted by Trump's win, but only a few have seen the wins.Talk to us! Did we cover all the points about the election? What would you have added? Our lines are open for any and all communications about masculinity, maskulinitypodcast@gmail.com; @maskulinitypod on Twitter and Instagram.Thanks for listeningCOMPANION PIECES:Making Sense of the Election - Our post election episode examining money in politics and how Americans get their news and informationHow American Politics REALLY Sees Men & MASKulinity - Our episode analyzing PEW Research Center's latest report on men and masculinity with report author and Senior Associate Director of Research at PEW Research Center, Juliana Horowitz and Next Gen Men's Equity Leaders' Trevor MayohDon't underestimate the Rogansphere. His mammoth ecosystem is Fox News for young peoplePew Research Center ‘s study on Americans' news sourcesMANY young people are getting their news from TikTokReferenced on this episode:How Americans See Men and Masculinity - PEW Research Center reportMen Think It's Harder for Them at Work Than 20 Years AgoFewer young men are in college, especially at 4-year schools

This time last year, Keestin O'Dell of Frog Lake First Nations joined the pod to have a thoughtful conversation about resistance, warrior masculinity, and the importance of questioning dominant narratives about indigenous communities. It's time to have this conversation again, so we're bringing it back to keep real history out there. Here's how it went down:We switch it up this week! Remoy has some stories to fill Samantha in on. They talk language traditions, how colonial/settler/imperialist institutions use language to marginalize indigenous communities, and how that translates to altering narratives about a painful past.Remoy talks us through about how the co-woman led Indian of All Tribes organization took over Alcatraz for a year-and-a-half and gets real about the astronomical impact of the genocide of indigenous peoples.He shares more female native activist voices like Shinanova who use social media voices to pass on their message of resistance.Keestin shares key history about Frog Lake First Nations and its legacy in Alberta, Canada—specifically the Frog Lake Massacre. If you listen hard enough, you can hear how history is finding a way to repeat itself now.He lets us in on how his and other indigenous communities have had to fight postcolonial legacy to reclaim their history and identity, including redefining the notion of “warrior” and what it means to provide.Keestin inspires us to break through our illusions of language and masculinity. He shares the evolution of his own experience with masculinity, how a community of men was pivotal, and how that impacts the work he does today. COMPANION PIECES:The history behind The National Day of Mourning and how indigenous Americans continue to fight the lie of Thanksgiving. Keestin's TED talk on perceptions of indigenous manhoodThe indigenous occupation of AlcatrazReferenced on this episode:54th Annual National Day of Mourning Demonstration in PlymouthDr. LaNada War JackRichard OakesIndian of All Tribes (IAT)ShinaNova

This week, Remoy and Samantha debrief the election. After having hope following the PEW findings from the last episode, they try to understand how the election turned out the way it did.The obvious has to be put out there: Kamala Harris's loss has strong racist and sexist undertones.Given most Trump voters cited the economy as the reason why, Samantha talks through Joe Biden's approach as well.Many factors contributed to the state of the economy, including—ahem—COVID, the effects of which we're still feeling now.What's going on with inflation? Samantha gives us high-level notes on COVID-19 led to the worst inflation we've seen.Trump voters may not have known all this, because news sources have changed substantially in recent years.Remoy takes us through the new news landscape.YouTube and Facebook are heavy on Americans' news rotation, many more Americans than you might think get their news from these sources.Not to mention the manosphere speaking directly to men as guests like Donald Trump give them clout while connecting to their fanbase.How can so many Americans fall for these things? Education has been meddled with in so many states.Samantha gives a crash course on the billionaire Koch brothers and their education goals.She delves into the allies that have helped them get there and how they use government and money to undermine public education.Did you know they are longtime associates of Betsy DeVos and her family? Samantha gets into their collaboration instituting the voucher system in states around the country.The Koch have a particular vision for the world they want to see and meddling with American education is their pathway.Trump has now started naming his cabinet, and back in 2016, many of his potential cabinet picks were from the Kochs' network of donors.Remoy reminds us how men's education has plateaued in the US, and how this helps disinform them.The notion of school choice has been a conservative strategy to destabilize public education, reallocating funds to give parents accounts.They end on a note of hope.Join Samantha and Remoy at the Next Gen Men Pathways event. They'll be answering questions about MASKulinity and the election for Next Gen Men's new initiative and reflecting on what's to come. Sign up for FREE, and join them on November 21!Thanks for listening!Referenced on this episode:Pew Research Center ‘s study on Americans' news sourcesMANY young people are getting their news from TikTokHow Democrats are falling short on connecting with menOur podbro's thoughts on Democrats connecting with menHow the manosphere won the election COMPANION PIECES:How American Politics REALLY Sees Men & MASKulinityRadicalization and TSwiftMake America Great Again, How the dominant was left behind with Dr. Michael KimmelInside the new strain of conservatives, not MAGA or QanonGaslit Nation's Reading Guide to stay informed

As the 2024 election heats up, it's easy to assume that hyper-masculine, even toxic masculinity, messaging is resonating across America. But a new Pew Research report tells a different story. After digging in with report creator Juliana Horowitz and Next Gen Men's Trevor Mayoh, Samantha uncovers some surprising truths. Here's where Samantha reveals the real story behind Americans' views on masculinity. Remoy was surprised, to say the least…First Juliana opens up to how the “How Americans See Men and Masculinity” report came out of a more general curiosity, but as the election shifted into a more gendered race, the importance of the research became increasingly clear.Using the report as a jump off, Samantha runs a few questions by Remoy:First: Samantha asked Remoy what he thought when he heard of the association between the American public and the terms: caring, open about their emotions, soft-spoken, or affectionate?Second: She asked him how Americans felt about men pursuing non “traditional” norms: staying home to raise the kids, women paying for the date, men taking a woman's last name in marriage?Third: How do Americans feel about actions that depict Toxic Masculinity?Fourth: Do Americans feel like there's a backlash against men who are manly or masculine?The answers? They're not so cut and dry as you may think with a lot more parity across the aisle. Why?Juliana suggests that generally speaking there's much more nuance to Americans' beliefs and thinking. Especially in contrast to the loud political noise we constantly see and hear.Trevor makes a point that it's the sport of American politics, the tribalism of how it's waged, that unfortunately may disregard a lot of that nuance.Trevor shares what he's experienced with men in his work as a diversity, inclusion and violence prevention consultant. How he encounters a lot of men who are hurting in a variety of ways: work anxieties, stress, expectations to meet the highest standards of what it means to be husband or father. And in the midst of all that, how the larger culture hasn't given men the tools to ask for help to process all these intense expectations.Then he goes on to unpack how that can be exacerbated in highly masculine spaces– how men could actually possess a lot of that nuance Juliana shared in her report –but there's a pack mentality in those intense social environments that doesn't allow men to easily share their discouragements.Remoy wonders if all of this is what can create a culture of “Aggrieved Entitlement.”Does Remoy know what that really is? Nope. Luckily Samantha helps guide the way, defining what that experience is along with how mens' perceptions of women's ascent plays a role in building that entitled foundation.Juliana brings some light to it all by giving a better view of what Americans perceive of the progress women have made in the last 20 years and how that may be affecting the aforementioned entitlement.Trevor reveals how that entitlement, yes, has become a tool for American players like Trump, but is also a larger global culture. How it's more of a larger populist appeal that exploits men's insecurities amidst deeply entrenched gender norms.Trevor leaves Samantha and Remoy with one last take away about how maybe the greatest misunderstanding of all these political games, is that if anything, it may provide community, friendship, or just a person to share a laugh with. A rare commodity for men especially as they age.Samantha and Remoy really take this information in to gather a better understanding of how vulnerable men may be and how if this is the most vulnerable area for predation, how sad the American political environment may be.Samantha then breaks off on her own to ask Juliana more questions about the importance of the “How Americans See Men and Masculinity” report. Along the way pursuing a deeper understanding with Trevor at how to better wade through all these layers of these findings amidst the visible political situation in America.Finally, Samantha and Remoy discuss how to hold all this nuance alongside knowing we're in a fractured American political system; especially when facing the obligation to participate when the cracks are so apparent. Together they land on multiple ideas that empower each other to have faith and still fight back as part of their own civic duty. Referenced on this episode:Want to dive into the actual report from the Pew Research Center? Read “How Americans See Men and Masculinity” in all its surprising, well dissected glory.Who's Trevor Mayoh? Learn more about his role as an Equity Leader with Next Gen Men.Okay but really… What is “Aggrieved Entitlement”? The Conversation shows a recent example of what that looks like in Canada.Who's Samantha's favorite Boston Celtic, Jaylen Brown? And why? Read more about how he came to open up about his mental health challenges as a male pro-athlete, especially overcoming an upbringing surrounded by what he calls “over-masculinity”.Justin Baldoni makes it his mission to model a public, vulnerable, honest conversation of what patriarchy really does to men.Companion pieces:It's Time to Loosen the Grip on Reproductive Freedom with Heidi SieckMake America Great Again, How the dominant was left behind with Dr. Michael Kimmel

This week, we're joined by multihyphenate artist Stephanie Graham to delve into Pick Me culture. Remoy has no idea what that means, so Samantha walks him through what Pick Me culture is, the nuances in the ways women interact with each other when talking about relationships with men, and what that means for MASKulinity.Have you ever done anything out of character to be picked or chosen? This question is at the crux of this episode, and Remoy shares his own personal experience, which mostly includes success without shame.Along the way, Samantha breaks down what a simp is, which according to Urban Dictionary, is the male version of being a Pick Me. The crew walks through how each term started out as a way to call folks out for bending their self-respect for desired love interests who don't care for them but evolved into insults toward people doing anything nice or pleasing to the object of their affection.Samantha traces back the origins of “woman who's not like other women” to the “cool girl,” a compliment given to women who never required too much from their man and just went with the flow, drank beer, watched sports, while being hot and keeping a size 2.Remoy gives all the reasons why his partner is a cool girl, and they're just because she's a cool person who does cool stuff. But the “cool girl” is a trope of a woman suppressing parts of herself so that she can appeal to a man by not taking up too much space. Remoy gives a great example from popular culture.Samantha shared her own “cool girl” attempt as a 12-year-old girl trying to impress a boy.Stephanie vulnerably shares seeking sneaker-swag validation from men, albeit platonically.Is Samantha's story an example of Pick Me behavior - What do you think?At the crux of the Pick Me is her superiority to other women for her ability to be appealing to men, whereas the cool girl suppresses her needs and aligns her interests with her man for appeal. They overlap.Samantha provides examples and Remoy picks up on the suggested requirement to be demure to be a real woman, and Stephanie picks up on the chastisement of women who aren't putting domesticity at the top of their priority list.They get into Stephanie's work exploring gender through art. Stephanie shares her experience photographing men for her Love You Bro series, celebrating friendships between Black men. The responses to her project had her questioning whether she was a Pick Me.Remoy makes an important point about how patriarchy drives up these insecurities and conflicts among women.Samantha points out the rewards that women get when participating in Pick Me/Cool Girl culture.Men enjoy being appealed to, and men's interests being viewed as superior to women's automatically legitimizes Cool Girls.It gets complicated. Folks calling out Pick Me behavior may just be performing a different type of sexism. Calling out women for their behavior and what they prefer is sometimes also folded into the Pick Me trope, when it's really sexism.Samantha calls out that the onus of dismantling patriarchy falls on men. Remoy and Stephanie cosign.Remoy makes an important statement about how men can step in and stand for what's right.Stephanie shares small ways that men can intervene using their values rather than telling women what to do.In our Five Questions segment, Stephanie shares what Pick Me culture can look like in her art and in real life.Stephanie illustrates the ways that Pick Me culture is rewarded in our culture.Girls get the prize: the guy.Women compete and win the prize, but it can backfire when they want to put their own needs first later in the relationship.They get into the trad wife trend. Is this another example of Pick Me culture. Sort of. The trad wife trend has been blazing online but it's a performance of gender. Women peddling the trad wife are businesswomen selling a lifestyle that they're not actually living for profit.Stephanie lets us in on her project #NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY. The performance and installation project explores friendships between women through the lens of goddesses. Why is there a supposed hierarchy between women in their friendships? There isn't and this project explores that. It contradicts the trope of Pick Me culture pitting women against each other for an ultimate prize.Stephanie's photography project Love You Bro explores male friendships. The closeness between men is seldom expressed, instead painting a picture of men as inherently violent.She gets into the discomfort folks have seeing men being affectionate with one another.Samantha wonders what the reception was from both the participants and the audience.Stephanie shares the concerns men had doing the project, and the eventual glee and satisfaction of the participants.The hot seat is flipped this week! Remoy answers Stephanie's question to the host. What was the turning point for Remoy that got him to question patriarchy?Remoy shares his upbringing seeing women's leadership. He witnessed abuse growing up, which led to insensitivity toward women on his part.Remoy's turning point shows that it's possible for men to transform and be more thoughtful about patriarchy and its harms.Referenced on this episode:Gone Girl: book monologue and movie monologueExamples of Pick Me cultureLove You Bro#NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHYCOMPANION PIECES:The Marriage Episode

This week, we're having a herstory moment! Professor and Chair of the Africana Studies Department at Wellesley College Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson joins the show this week to talk Black abolitionists and resistance. We get to know civil rights leader Mabel Williams, spouse and partner of Robert F. Williams, and how she and her husband mobilized Black folks to take up arms and defend themselves in the face of extreme racism in the sixties. We start off with a moment for the cover of Professor Carter Jackson's forthcoming book We Refuse. It features Soldier of Love, not Sade's chart topper, but the beautiful and poignant painting by Brooklyn-based artist Taha Clayton.Disclaimer: While we're happy that gun violence has overall decreased in the United States, it continues to be troubling. We're conscious of how intense gun debates can get and want to stress that this conversation explores how communities took up arms in self-defense against lethal racism. We are not advocating for general gun violence.Remoy introduces Mabel and Robert Williams via their infamous black and white Bonnie and Clyde photo.Prof Carter Jackson breaks down the Williams' approach to self-defense. Robert F. Williams slept with a gun under his pillow to be ready to defend himself for the KKK's night rides: violent runs where Klan member went into Black communities, attacked folks and raided homes.Our guest stresses that though someone likeDr. Martin Luther King preached nonviolence and preferred it, he kept an arsenal of weapons in his home to be ready for self-defense against racist assailants. He'd previously been attacked and firebombed and became ready.The Kissing Case in Monroe, NC is a turning point for the Williamses.In 1958, James Thompson and David Simpson are respectively 9 and 7 years of age. They are playing in the neighborhood when one of the white girls kisses each of them on this cheek. This instance erupts into these young Black boys being accused of rape and arrested. They are beaten and isolated from their parents.Carter Jackson lends context for how terrifying this situation was for these young boys in a warzone-like environment and especially at that age.Remoy shares a few clips from an Oprah WInfrey Show interview in which James Thompson and David Simpson, now adults, recount the horrifying experience.Mabel and Robert make plans to defend their community by mobilizing their community into a rifle club including 60 members of all genders. They became NRA members.Mabel even protected her home from police officers coming into their home without a warrant.Carter Jackson stressed the importance of people knowing the law and arming themselves with that knowledge.Swimming pools were the sight of a lot of child drownings.Remoy shares a clip of Mabel recounting how she and Robert advocated for Black children to use pools safely.While Robert still erred on the side of nonviolent resistance, Mabel was adamant that not using guns for defense was akin to suicide. She even let her sons participate in the resistance, which highlights an important point about how violence and protection aren't as strictly masculine as we sometimes think of them as.Carter Jackson emphasizes Black women's role in community protection. The lack of protection they've historically received has made rise to the occasion of being their own protectors and protectors of the community.[Black women] have never been allowed to occupy the space of the damsel in distress. They've always been seen as undeserving of protection.Mabel knew how the presence of guns was enough to deter potential violence. And she was right. Violence severely deescalated.Carter Jackson stresses the importance of Mabel and Robert's partnership because Robert tends to get all the credit for these efforts.Remoy shares a clip of Mabel describing how she didn't necessarily want the credit but just wanted to do the work.Carter Jackson and Samantha have a moment about the importance of highlighting all the people in the resistance and give credit where it's due. Black women have always been soldiers in the resistance and that should be common knowledge.Racism is not the only thing folks were fighting. Violent sexism must also be challenged and that calls for women's leadership.Carter Jackson brings up Rosa Parks's home being a fortress of guns. Fannie Lou Hammer was also ready to use violent force to defend herself.Black woman in general were aware of how powerful guns were even if they didn't shout it from the rooftops. The gun was enough to make their position known.In our Five Questions segment, Professor Kellie Carter Jackson distills women's anger and they can use it as a driving force. Our guest shares how anger is a big driving force for a lot of her work.She stresses the importance of reparations, not just monetarily, but how do we repair the hurt and destabilization Black communities have endured?Carter Jackson breaks down how she arrived at the title of her forthcoming book, We Refuse.Refusal is the why of resistance.bell hooks has a famous quote about Black men and white women being one stage away from the ultimate social power: white men's power.Samantha asks how Black men and masculine people can champion partnership and women's leadership in the resistance. Carter Jackson delivers a textbook-worthy answer. (48:02)We close out with a great note on how to get to liberation. Dr. Carter Jackson stresses how binaries and individualism pigeon-hole us away from collective freedom. She envisions how to move past that. Thanks for listening!

It's been a great summer! But now it's fall and your tween and teen sons, nephews, brothers, and cousins are back in school. Teen anxiety is on the rise with pre-teen boys feeling that stress. But there is recourse! Multihyphenate mental health advocate Kyle Mitchell joins us this week and shares his wisdom and experience with helping teenagers manage social anxiety. Remoy shares his experience with tween social anxiety after changing schools Kyle had a very similar experience and reflects back on dealing with anxiety as a tween. Turns out this experience is common among teen boys. They wanted to but had a hard time making friends and spent their time trying to avoid being noticed and judged.Remoy puts on his science teacher cap and lets us in on where this anxiety comes from.He walks us through the brain functions and glands that cause our physical and mental development.Our bodies develop faster than our mind, and we have to play catch-up to manage it all… How does that impact boys trying to survive new social situations?The prefrontal cortex is responsible for a lot of our mental processes, and yet, most of us know so little about it. Even if their body is physically mature, hormonal teenagers will not have a fully developed brain for another ten years. It all seems so unfair…Hormones help us manage stress but are also responsible for puberty, a highly stressful time in our lives.Kyle reminds us that anxiety is useful! The goal isn't to get rid of it but to manage it.Teenagers develop strategies for survival in social situations that could make them feel alone.Kyle shares some truths and tips about how to manage that, particularly for boys, who by that time, have already learned to repress emotional expression.He stresses the importance of boys developing a friend group that they can confide in and be vulnerable with.Dealing with self-esteem and confidence issues is universal even if it doesn't feel like it and knowing that can help boys overcome the fear of sharing themselves more openly.How to teach boys to be vulnerable? Kyle reframes what strength actually can look like: sharing is more than caring; it's actually a show of strength.How have you dealt with social anxiety over the years? What would you tell your teenage self about dealing with self-doubt and lack of confidence? We'll say it again: sharing is caring! Share your stories and takeaways and we'll share them with our online community!In our deep dive, Kyle shares his own story dealing with anxiety and how this led him to the work he does helping teens and tweens deal with theirs.He walks us through the strategies he used to help him manage anxiety as a young man. Self-love was the missing piece for Kyle and is for a lot of boys. He shares his feelings of self-hate and what led him to a turning point.Kyle is a father now and sees how his own kids deal with self-love and acceptance.Kyle shares his three-step process for dealing with social anxiety (37:39)Exposure therapy opened a whole new world for Kyle and got him thirsting for stretching his comfort zone.Rewards systems are hugely helpful. BoysWhile self-love is the name of the game, that term can be a turnoff to boys because it's associated with femininity.Kyle exposes how using the right language to draw boys into their healing. What was the turning point for Kyle, where he realized that anxiety wasn't running his life anymore?Kyle shares how working uncomfortability into his life and his family's life has changed everything. He loves looking back on his journey going from being an anxious kid to being a public speaker helping kids with anxiety. Kyle shares why his work is so important and the gratification seeing people move past their fears brings him.Kyle plans to visit schools with The DUDE Project this fall to help more kids deal with anxiety. Samantha had a moment of gratitude.Like we said above, teen anxiety is on the rise in the US. Please share this conversation with anyone who might benefit from it and check out mental health resources on our website. Thanks for listening!

This week, we're talking about marriage! Sociology Professor LaToya Council joins the pod this week to help us navigate Black couple's marital waters.. and Samantha hangs in there as Remoy walks us through the complicated history of wedding traditions before her upcoming I Dos.Remoy takes us back to the first wedding ever, which took place in China. Find out what a man had to do to win the hand of the king's daughter. At this wedding, the bride didn't wear white. Remoy puts us on game about the painting that started it all. LaToya and Samantha react to the infamous painting of women being auctioned off at a marriage market.

This week, we're joined by media scholar and psychologist Soraya Giaccardi. She shares her work analyzing gender depictions in TV and helps Remoy and Samantha psychoanalyze their relationship to a TV classic and one of their faves, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”But first, Remoy walks us through some surprising facts about  boys' TV shows. Who are the leading characters in boys' TV shows? Remoy shares some stats from Soraya's seminal report (check it out; it's linked below) about how genders are represented in leading roles. Turns out that there is surprising parity among the binary genders in leading character representation.Girls being in leading roles is not as big a deterrent in boys' TV shows as we might collectively think… More on that later.Women and girls are way more represented than they used to be, but how much are current gender depictions on boys' TV shows challenging MASKulinity? The hosts discuss, with some valuable insights from our media scholar guest. LGBTQIA+ characters are still seldom the leading roles in boys' TV. Soraya hypothesizes why that might be… One factor that remains consistent is that boys remain perpetrators of violence on screen… and the victims of it. There's still so much work to do when it comes to men's and boys' representations on screen. While boys are disproportionately harmed on screen, we don't always see them processing that violence emotionally…Remoy draws key points from Soraya's report on how these depictions, or lack thereof, impact us boys in their real life.How exactly are boys' relationships with their close ones depicted on the small screen compared to their fellow femme characters? This all informs how they interpret gender.Soraya stresses the importance of deconstructing these stereotypes as boys intake them during formative years.Despite making so much headway in balancing the binary genders, boys continue to primarily show just one emotion on screen… You guessed it: anger.We watch TV a lot more than we used to as a society. It's available virtually at any time, on any nearby screen.How has that impacted the way we process TV shows? Soraya breaks down the connections between our viewership and our socialization in romantic and platonic relationships.Remoy and Samantha take a walk down memory lane, reflecting on one of their favorite TV shows, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Samantha shares how the show shaped her views of femininity and romantic relationships. Sue the woo! Track.Remoy looks back on a pivotal scene between Uncle Phil and Will. You'll recognize it when you hear it.Soraya's analysis highlights a critical knowledge on what supportive parenting can look like for boys as modeled by this touching scene.What show shaped your views of gender and romantic relationships? Let us know in the comments!In our Five Questions segment, the hosts go expectedly deeper.What does TV's impact look like in our lives?How does it manifest and what can we do about it? Soraya drops some key research findings about the way we relate to characters on screen. TV depictions aren't just impacting us unwittingly; characters and storylines on the small screen also allow us to access liberation in some ways… Soraya shares her own experience with TV as a youngster and how it can bridge us to worlds unknown, which for many of us, can be a connection to communities we long for. The surprising stats about women being more present on TV bring up an interesting point: if girls are just as likely to draw a boys' audience, why do we think that otherwise? Soraya cautions us about our own perceptions and how knowing the facts can shatter them. She stresses how controlling the narrative keeps us in the patriarchal loop of our own perceptions. Statistical facts humble us with the truth and can boys, men, masc folks, and all of us, really, closer to the truth.Soraya shares about this dream job marrying psychology and communications. We're glad she chose this route!Referenced in this episode:ENCORE: It *Was* Time to Loosen the Grip on Reproductive Freedom - Heidi Sieck schooled us on how controlling narratives led to the reversal of Roe vs. Wade..MASKulinity is making some people a lot of money - we talked about how women-led movies are of much better quality and get much better ratings than they get credit for…“If He Can See It, Will He Be It? Representations of Masculinity in Boys' Television”, the report Soraya wrote at the Geena Davis Institute in partnership with Equimundo and the Kering FoundationCultivation theory - read about TV impacts us over timeMedia Use and Men's Risk Behaviors: Examining the Role of Masculinity Ideology - cowritten by our illustrious scholar guest, Soraya GiaccardiCOMPANION PIECES:Trivia Night! Movie Time? Romance and Loneliness Edition - we talked about depictions of thoughtful fatherhood on screenRadicalization and TSwift - we talked with Jeff Perera about how men relate to women's jokesRomance MASKulinity: Getting the Girl… - we talked with Imran Siddiquee about what romance in movies teaches men and boys about masculinity

This week, we're joined by media scholar and psychologist Soraya Giaccardi. She shares her work analyzing gender depictions in TV and helps Remoy and Samantha psychoanalyze their relationship to a TV classic and one of their faves, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”But first, Remoy walks us through some surprising facts about  boys' TV shows. Who are the leading characters in boys' TV shows? Remoy shares some stats from Soraya's seminal report (check it out; it's linked below) about how genders are represented in leading roles. Turns out that there is surprising parity among the binary genders in leading character representation.Girls being in leading roles is not as big a deterrent in boys' TV shows as we might collectively think… More on that later.Women and girls are way more represented than they used to be, but how much are current gender depictions on boys' TV shows challenging MASKulinity? The hosts discuss, with some valuable insights from our media scholar guest. LGBTQIA+ characters are still seldom the leading roles in boys' TV. Soraya hypothesizes why that might be… One factor that remains consistent is that boys remain perpetrators of violence on screen… and the victims of it. There's still so much work to do when it comes to men's and boys' representations on screen. While boys are disproportionately harmed on screen, we don't always see them processing that violence emotionally…Remoy draws key points from Soraya's report on how these depictions, or lack thereof, impact us boys in their real life.How exactly are boys' relationships with their close ones depicted on the small screen compared to their fellow femme characters? This all informs how they interpret gender.Soraya stresses the importance of deconstructing these stereotypes as boys intake them during formative years.Despite making so much headway in balancing the binary genders, boys continue to primarily show just one emotion on screen… You guessed it: anger.We watch TV a lot more than we used to as a society. It's available virtually at any time, on any nearby screen.How has that impacted the way we process TV shows? Soraya breaks down the connections between our viewership and our socialization in romantic and platonic relationships.Remoy and Samantha take a walk down memory lane, reflecting on one of their favorite TV shows, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Samantha shares how the show shaped her views of femininity and romantic relationships. Sue the woo! Track.Remoy looks back on a pivotal scene between Uncle Phil and Will. You'll recognize it when you hear it.Soraya's analysis highlights a critical knowledge on what supportive parenting can look like for boys as modeled by this touching scene.What show shaped your views of gender and romantic relationships? Let us know in the comments!In our Five Questions segment, the hosts go expectedly deeper.What does TV's impact look like in our lives?How does it manifest and what can we do about it? Soraya drops some key research findings about the way we relate to characters on screen. TV depictions aren't just impacting us unwittingly; characters and storylines on the small screen also allow us to access liberation in some ways… Soraya shares her own experience with TV as a youngster and how it can bridge us to worlds unknown, which for many of us, can be a connection to communities we long for. The surprising stats about women being more present on TV bring up an interesting point: if girls are just as likely to draw a boys' audience, why do we think that otherwise? Soraya cautions us about our own perceptions and how knowing the facts can shatter them. She stresses how controlling the narrative keeps us in the patriarchal loop of our own perceptions. Statistical facts humble us with the truth and can boys, men, masc folks, and all of us, really, closer to the truth.Soraya shares about this dream job marrying psychology and communications. We're glad she chose this route!Referenced in this episode:ENCORE: It *Was* Time to Loosen the Grip on Reproductive Freedom - Heidi Sieck schooled us on how controlling narratives led to the reversal of Roe vs. Wade..MASKulinity is making some people a lot of money - we talked about how women-led movies are of much better quality and get much better ratings than they get credit for…“If He Can See It, Will He Be It? Representations of Masculinity in Boys' Television”, the report Soraya wrote at the Geena Davis Institute in partnership with Equimundo and the Kering FoundationCultivation theory - read about TV impacts us over timeMedia Use and Men's Risk Behaviors: Examining the Role of Masculinity Ideology - cowritten by our illustrious scholar guest, Soraya GiaccardiCOMPANION PIECES:Trivia Night! Movie Time? Romance and Loneliness Edition - we talked about depictions of thoughtful fatherhood on screenRadicalization and TSwift - we talked with Jeff Perera about how men relate to women's jokesRomance MASKulinity: Getting the Girl… - we talked with Imran Siddiquee about what romance in movies teaches men and boys about masculinity

It's the Fourth of July in the US, and we're thinking about the military. Today and on Veterans' Day, we'll say “Thank you for your service,” but do we really know all that goes into that service and how it impacts the people that serve? This week, we're joined by military masculinity expert Dr. Ray Hinojosa from the University of Central Florida to uncover how gender informs how people are recruited into the military, why people choose to serve, and how it's changed over time.Remoy starts out with a confession… Was it as unexpected for you as it was for Samantha? Who knew he had THIS facet…How would you describe someone in the military? Remoy poses this question and leads us into the seldom-talked-about ways that folks used to  recruit soldiers into service back in the day.In the days of Napoleon, his rival, the Duke of Wellington, had choice words about his own soldiers, and Dr. Hinojosa shares context that gives us insight into the predatory recruiting strategies of that time and why those methods were used.(Despite Samantha's excitement about beurre blanc and butter in general, we do realize that Napoleon lost to the Duke of Wellington

We're going back in time! Remoy shows his energetic facets as we dive into a past episode throwback on Transitioning into Immigrant MASKulinity with multihyphenate artist, Dlo.Samantha and Remoy play back clips from this insightful episode and remember their old selves trying to make sense of this conversation a year into the show compared to now, as their older (hopefully wiser!) selves.The hosts share what it meant to have D'Lo stop on the pod as immigrant folks themselves.D'Lo shared his experience growing up and questioning his gender identity in a Sri Lankan family, with one of the most racist counties in California as the setting.While his family was accepting of his looking like a little boy and having nothing but boys as friends, he had to take on that MASK of girlhood in his larger community.He made a first transition to fit into society's gender expectations, and it may not be what you think.Remoy and Samantha reflect on their own immigrant-kid experiences and how that impacted their understanding of gender.Samantha shares her gratitude for folks like D'Lo who made sure their voices were heard and created a more nuanced picture of what gender could be in immigrant communities.D'Lo challenged the notion that traits must be associated with either femininity or masculinity exclusively. He never felt that way himself and most people don't actually live that way either.Samantha looks back on what she's learned about the gender spectrum over the yearsWhat informed D'Lo's notions of gender growing up?Remoy shares his own experiences with MASKulinity as a young South Asian man growing up in a mostly white community.He expresses his gratitude for the multitude of perspectives out there now that have expanded our understanding of gender, in particular for people of color, more specifically for that immigrant family fighting for the “American Dream”D'Lo reflects on his new understanding of strength. His perceptions of his parents drastically shifted once his understanding of gendered pressures grew and he started challenging them himself.Remoy shares how empowering it is to hear this shift in perspective.Samantha shares her discovery of anger and how that escaped her as a woman in 2018.D'Lo has embraced all his multitudes and how being an artist allowed him to express them all.Remoy as a multihyphenate himself embraced his own wholeness rather than falling to the pressures of achievement.Shout-out to the folks out there fighting to make POC trans voices heard.Let us know how your own views have changed since we started!!Referenced in this episode:D'Lo on how he came out three timesMore about D'LoNot Past It - Remoy's history-focused podcastCOMPANION PIECES:Transitioning into Immigrant MASKulinityRelationships: Behind the MASK of StoicismThe Racial Hierarchy of MASKulinity, with Dr. Liu - Part 1 ENCOREMy Body, My Transition, My Identity — How A Colombian Trans Activist Stands His Ground

Calling all wrestling fans! This week, we are joined by playwright, Chicano history and theater professor, and self-professed smark Beto O'Byrne to talk MASKulinity in wrestling. Not your Olympics wrestling—it's WWE, baby!Is wrestling fake? How dare you ask that?! Beto sets the record straight.Wrestling is simultaneously sport and theater. This scripted performance produces an over-the-top MASKulinity for its audience of mostly men to thoroughly enjoy. What are the implications for MASKulinity? We discuss.Beto walks us through what that has looked like in the ring over time.Beto and Remoy share their mutual love of wrestling as youngsters and nerd out on their favorite moves.Moonsault anyone? What's a hangman? Get your Google out—lots of terms in this one.Beto walks us through wrestling history and its connections to theater performances.Many sports often have that flavor of homoerotism in many ways, and wrestling is no different.How did wrestling evolve from its carnival roots to the WWE we know and love?Wrestlers meld their in-ring persona with their real-world persona.Colorful characters Stone Cold Steve Austins and The Rocks bled into American pop culture with their larger-than-life personas informing MASKulinity in their own ways.Listen for the best quote on professional wrestling you've ever heard in your life from Vince McMahon's unauthorized biography.Beto highlights the different “characters” in wrestling storytelling:You've got your heel, your monster heel, your babyface—all different facets of MASKulinity in the ring.We've gotta know! Which archetype do you love?Samantha gets to guess who The Man is, and if your wrestling knowledge is as limited as hers, you may be surprised to find out who it is…Women wrestle too, but it wasn't always that way…Models used to be recruited to get in the ring?! How did we go from hyperfemininity in this MASKuline world to Chyna and Jade Cargill?Beto gives us a portrait of the evolution of women wrestlers in the McMahon machine.In our UnMASKed Interview segment, we get a snapshot of luchador culture and performance and its impact on American wrestling.We reflect on the ways that wrestling lets men watch other men be close…something they're way less allowed to do in real life.Is it cathartic?Beto reflects on his Southern culture around MASKulinity and the vicarious experience that the WWE offers.We go further in the theatricality of the WWE and what that looks like when performing for tens of thousands of people.Referenced in this episode:Beto O'Byrne guest references Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America by Abraham Josephine ReismanMasculinity, explained by WWESamantha reacted to this videoFor deeper dives on wrestling and its history, check out wrestling observer Dave Metzler or former wrestling manager turned podcaster Jim CornetteSamantha developed a new crush in this episodeCOMPANION PIECES:When we talked with with Kirstin Cronn-Mills about women's sports in Don't Let Them Play ⚽️⚾ Lest the MASK Fall AwayWomen's impact in wrestingThe impact of lucha culture

What's a matriarchy? Documentarian Izzy Chan puts us up on game about what matriarchies actually are and what they're like, and reveals surprising facts about women-led societies.Remoy takes the mic this week to explore this system that is often viewed as a patriarchy with women in charge. Matriarchy, however, is far from that. Remoy makes the important note, which bears repeating, that most sources used to write this episode have the same patriarchal lens that we are trying to unMASK. We must always bear this in mind.Izzy talks us through the buzz words that describe women-led societies—what's matrilineal versus matrilocal versus matriarchal? Listen to find out!But there's a reason why Izzy only uses one of these terms, though. She shares her experience creating her documentary Matriarch and the feedback she's gotten.Izzy dispels the one-to-one comparison between patriarchy and matriarchy using facts from the societies she's exploring in Matriarch.What role do men play in a matriarchy?Izzy fascinates Remoy and Samantha with the way men leaders (and husbands) are picked in the matriarchies she's documenting.Roles were respected in a different way in matriarchies, a way that didn't require oppression or exploitation. So much to learn from this system…Why don't we hear that much about matriarchies? Besides separate efforts to undermine their existence and legitimacy, many of them have been overtaken by patriarchal settlers.Remoy talks us through a couple matriarchies from different corners of the world.First the Bijagos. Folks living in the Guinea Bissau archipelago were a matriarchy run by clan mothers. But this wasn't just patriarchy with women at the top. Listen to find out how the Bijagos ran their community.Then he comes to the Western hemisphere to present the Haudenosaunee, an indigenous group based in what is now Canada. Also a matriarchal and matrilineal community with mixed leadership, the Haudenosaunee is a longstanding group with community as one of its core values.Is it true that in some societies, women propose to men? Get ready to hear more excitement from Remoy than you've heard all year. Izzy paints a picture of the matriarchies and what it looks like to include all genders in leadership. She makes an important point about gender roles in matriarchies, which she credits to her advisor on Matriarch, a member of the Haudenosaunee tribe.Why are there so many matriarchies that no longer exist? Look no further than Western settler culture and colonialism. Guess how they proceeded?Quiz yourself on matriarchies with all the buzz words we give you this episode!HoyanehOrebokClan motherDatukRemoy gets just five questions to ask Izzy about matriarchy and gender. Izzy shines more light on one of patriarchy's running theme: control.Is it still a problem in matriarchy? We'll let you take a wild guess.She shares the most surprising things about matriarchy and checks all of us on the language that we use when talking about community.Izzy implores us to ask “Right for whom?!” when it comes to gender roles in any system.Izzy shares why it's important to study and document matriarchies. What can we learn from them?Would you move to a matriarchy for a year? Why or not?? Let us know!Referenced in this episode:The first look at Matriarch, Izzy Chan's upcoming documentary on matriarchal societies:Indonesia's MinangkabauKhasis: India's indigenous matrilineal societyIn Sahara Desert's Tuareg Tribe, Islamic Women Rule The RoostA look at the MosuoInformation about the Haudenosaunee from the HaudenosauneeSome history on the BijagosCOMPANION PIECES:We talked about community with Jeremy Herte of Let's Talk Bruh and started exploring patriarchy vs matriarchy in Let's Talk MASKulinity, BruhLearn more about matriarchies!

It's movie game night again! Samantha wants Remoy to watch a movie, and he guesses his way to the title of the movie. Play along to get a great movie recommendation that explores MASKulinity.Remoy guesses his way to this Oscar-winning movie with a modern Frankenstein story. Themes of liberation and control abound!First, they once again distill MASKulinity - what is it again? And why are we talking about it?This movie explores power and gender in an absurdist and comical way, which allows for a complete abandonment of social conventions. No apologies, no social conventions - it's a delight!No conventions means no prescriptions, which—you guessed it!—leaves the MASKuline characters in this movie in a dangle of confusion and frustration.Remoy gives us the literati background of the movie, giving us insight into the story this movie is based on and its authorWhat is it about women's liberation that challenges men's masculinity?Samantha and Remoy discuss how the story pulls us in to pose this ever-relevant question.Literati and Marvel at the same time? We'll let you figure out the context on that one.MASKulinity comes in all shapes and sizes in this flick.What does this movie want to leave us with in terms of gender? And why?Samantha tells us why she recommended this film and ponders who it's intended for.What movies have you seen that explore the performance of masculinity? Send them to us! We'll be discussing it on a future episode and you might get a chance to be on Beneath the MASK

Join us, will you, and take a trip down memory lane with Samantha and Remoy... back to 2018... Follow along as our two hosts listen back to a season two episode where former guests Halston Bruce and Julie Henderson bring their A-game — sharing their experiences navigating gender's very blurry lines in and out of the gymJulie's court dominance sparks an eye-opening discussion on the importance of male allyshipRemoy tells story after story... first how he failed his and Julie's movie favorite—Love and BasketballNext, an anecdote about how venturing into some "femme" craftiness cracked open a deeper discussion on what it looks like to break free from the performance of MASKulinityHalston's vulnerability about the muscle stigma she endured has Samantha and Remoy parsing through all the strengths women have to continually flexJulie and Remoy's banter on the lack of infrastructural support for girls' sports in 2018 now seems hilariously outdated in the face of the current women's basketball revolutionReferenced in this episode:The OG MASKulinity episode starring one Julie Henderson and Halston Bruce: Women Athletes: performing masculinity (and femininity) on and off the courtAnother episode referenced from the (recent) past: Don't Let Them Play ⚽️⚾ Lest the MASK Fall AwayNCAA coach and champ Dawn Staley advocates for trans athletes, both on and off the courtBoston Celtics' Jason Tatum reveals the female athletes who inspire himNBA star Trae Young champions women's sports with his vocal supportThe 2024 Women's NCAA tournament final breaks records and redefines the future of the game's relationship with audiencesExplore Iceland's fishing industry through Halston Bruce's stunning documentary, Blood MemoryStep into the vibrant world of Reunion Los Angeles, Halston Bruce's curated creative spaceCOMPANION PIECES:Travel back to the first live MASKulinity Podcast episode at Halston Bruce's co-curated art Salon: MASKulinity Live at First Person Plural!Julie Henderson and Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey talk about Black women's fashion and sportsJulie Henderson's godson talks through his appreciation for women athletes… NBA rising star Jaden IveyWomen athletes flex on muscle stigma, breaking free from stereotypesGirls are finding their strength through powerliftingThe comeuppance of girls basketball is nowAn oral history 20 years after the premiere of Love and Basketball

This week, Remoy picks up the newscaster mic and shares some history about women's sports. We are joined by young adult author and educator Kirstin Cronn-Mills, an activist supporting gender equity in sports, specifically for trans women.Sports have always been framed and regarded as a men's activity by the powers that be, but in reality, all genders have always participated. Did you know that women were running their own soccer league in England in the late 1800s? How did we go from women being entrepreneurs turning away thousands of eager spectators at their sold-out matches to women being underrepresented in sports? Remoy charts the timeline of women's soccer in England before patriarchy intervened.Before baseball was segregated, girls just played with boys. Did they have to create separate leagues because girls couldn't keep up? Or was it threatening to boys' status to have girls play in their leagues? Listen as Remoy gives the gray answer of what actually happened and Kirstin Cronn-Mills shares historical sports insights of her own.Our illustrious guest questions what it is about women's power that makes men so uncomfortable and reveals how her work in sports and novels has informed her own parenting.Using pseudoscience to proclaim certain people's superiority is not a new game! Remoy outlines how teams kept girls out of baseball and how real science exposed that the truth is quite the opposite of the arguments used to maintain sports as strictly a boys' thing.Kirstin drops knowledge on trans athlete Lia Thomas and what it's really like when trans women compete after their transition. Knowing the real science is really the key!Help us name our revamped interview segment!

We're joined by Jeremy Herte, Chicagoan host of the seminal Black masculinity podcast, Let's Talk Bruh. We're always talking about patriarchy, but what is it exactly? And is it really the way it's always been? Samantha shares the differences between matriarchy and patriarchy and highlights key differences beyond which gender is at the helm.We reflect on just a few societies that have maintained or developed matriarchal structures. Did you know there were hunter-gatherer societies in the present day? These societies are much more egalitarian than we might think.. Did you attend a Muffins with Mom or Donuts with Dads event as a kid? Some schools hold these parent events which might seem harmless. We talk through the unforeseen impact of this event designed for dads and Remoy evokes the importance of challenging the social behaviors that we think of as natural and default.Jeremy shares the inspiration behind Let's Talk Bruh and the big part that community played in starting the show and its impact on his life and perspective.Is there really a gender war? Jeremy gets into it and offers insight.Our guest explains how his unlearning of patriarchy required community in different aspects of his life. What's the hardest part of patriarchy to unlearn? Jeremy's answer might be different than you expect…Referenced on this episode:What is patriarchy? A little helpful breakdown from CNNHunter-gatherers operated a little differently than what we thoughtRethinking “Muffins with Moms” and “Donuts with DadsSome names to make it more inclusiveLet's Talk Bruh episode discussing gender wars within communities.Let's Talk Bruh podcast archiveCOMPANION PIECES:Sugar Hill Band? Capitalism and MASKulinity in Hip Hop, with masculinity scholar and accountability strategist, Nalo ZidanHome ALONE for the Holidays, with resident men's counselor,  Justin LioiWe're All a Little MASKy, with #SameHere Global founder Eric KussinBlack Masculinity, Mental Health and Education, with clinical psychologist, Dr. Obari CartmanSome tips on men building communityOn Let's Talk Bruh

This week we welcome our podbrother Danny Perez from the Oreja Peluda podcast, a show about masculinities in Latin America. This is the last episode in our music series and we're sad it's over. BUT Remoy likes music now, AND we're wrapping it up with some over-the-top performance with glam rock!This subgenre of rock emerged in 1960s England and made its way to the States in all its grandiosity. It was characterized by loud makeup and outfits, and challenged typical masculine presentation; that doesn't mean it was inclusive. Samantha shares some glam rock history, including the story behind Ziggy Stardust and the name Queen. Hint: it's all about gender performance.This era is often remembered as purely accepting of these artists on and offstage, she explains why, between Ziggy Stardust and Freddie Mercury, glam rock was only accepting of gender and sexual fluidity onstage. Danny offers his thoughts on MASKulinity and how it shows up in rock performances.Glam Rock was a little different in the southern hemisphere. With tropícalia influences, Brazilian glam rock emerged in the early ‘70s. And that's when the band Secos e Molhados formed. Samantha takes us through the differences between Brazil, US, and England in their reception of glam rock artists.Nicknamed the David Bowie of Brazil, Secos e Molhados lead singer Ney Matogrosso's impact on Brazilian music is still celebrated today. Samantha paints a picture of the ‘70s dictatorship and what made a particular social group tap into Secos e Molhados.Danny offers some background on the social backdrop in South America at the time.Help us name our revamped interview segment!

It's our first episode of the year and we had to start it off right (Remoy doesn't think so) with a game! Your hosts are joined by the illustrious German Villegas, podbrother and host of Modern Manhood, to play our new game Paroles de Patriarchy!Samantha does a “dramatic reading” of a few songs spanning genres and eras, and German and Remoy guess what they are. But most importantly, they answer the question, are these songs masking or unmasking masculinity?German lives up to his reputation as a bonafide music-head, providing thoughtful insight about the performance of masculinity through the lens of these artists' style and personas. He also drops some important historical context around music and masculinity.How have artists subverted gender roles via music performance and did that permeate other areas of their lives as artists? The crew discusses!Samantha and German then take a deep dive into the performance of masculinity in music. Is it different from genre to genre? Are there parallels between the MASKulinity-tech influencer pipeline we talked about earlier this season and the bravado of men's musical performances? We'd love to hear what you think, so be sure to shoot us a note.Finally, German preps us for the new season of Modern Manhood, “Man Vs Machine.” Listen till the end to hear the dope trailer.Referenced on this episode:Bikini KillOne of our artist picks opens up about mental health"I Made My ADHD Into My Strength": Understanding The Link Between Rap & NeurodivergenceCash's masculine vulnerabilityThe Beastie Boys' Feminist EvolutionOne of our picks helped mainstream male emotionCOMPANION PIECES:A Man's World? How Music and Masculinity Got a MakeoverThe Year Pop's Men Dismantled Their Masculinity

It's almost curtains on 2023, but before it's over, we had to share some things we're grateful for. With a game, naturally! We're playing a lil guessing game, but of course, the number one thing we're grateful for is everyone who's taken the time to listen to this podcast, comment on social media, share this conversation with others. We're most grateful for you. THANK YOU.Jake Stika, executive director and cofounder of Next Gen Men, joins us this week to close out the year. He shares the importance of including different perspectives in the books we read, as he, Remoy, and Samantha all share their book gratitudes. SPOILER: Remoy continues to deny his literati status even as he shares a 700-page book.Jake goes Beyond Our Own Knowledge, getting into a couple of dope Next Gen Men initiatives.The crew stresses the importance of saving publications with factual information in this age of misinformation and disinformation as Next Gen Men completes a very important campaignThe crew has a moment of gratitude for mental health. Remoy shares his personal experience in another moment of gratitude.Referenced on this episode:Badass journalist Sarah Kendzior, who wrote Hiding in Plain Sight, cohosts Gaslit Nation with Andrea ChalupaA Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, a rich story of multidimensional male charactersB.O.O.K. ClubMeghann M. Cuniff, the reporter who brought accurate information about the trial  to social media in response to Tory Lanez's team's misinformation campaign against Megan Thee StallionTherapy and mental careThe Transgender Issue by Shon FayeMore on the Delhi street theatre company JanamSee No Stranger A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valerie KaurMore about Voice Male MagazineMASKulinity Podcast being back - you know where to go.

The holiday season is upon us shortly in the US. Some men will be surrounded by close ones, and some will finally get the R&R they've been craving, but many may feel alone.Americans have less and less friends. On this episode, Samantha and Remoy talk through some Survey Center on America Life findings on the state of American friendships. There are many men who have absolutely no friends, and that number is steadily increasing. The hosts get some help to understand how this impacts them during the holiday season.Our resident counselor for men, Justin Lioi, is back to talk about having mental ease during the holidays. He stresses that being alone at this time can be a fulfilling choice but it's OK to reach out for attention and support if it's loneliness rather than intentional alone time.Justin helps the hosts understand why reaching out can be difficult for men, how slipping back into old relationship dynamics can make it worse, and how to detect mental distress in the body.COMPANION PIECES:Ya can't pour from an empty cup! How Men Can Take Better Care of ThemselvesIgnoring it won't make it go away! How doing the work leads to men's freedom Special Episode! Getting Free, with Darnell MooreReferenced on this episode:Terrence Real, therapist author of I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male DepressionPia Mellody, author of Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our LivesBowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam shows how we people in modern societies have become more and more disconnected from each other

We've got a special episode this week. We're coming to you a lil early so you have time to chew on this timely conversation. Keestin O'Dell of Frog Lake First Nations joins the pod to have a thoughtful conversation about resistance, warrior masculinity, and the importance of questioning dominant narratives about indigenous communities. And how could they not talk about Nic Cage.We switch it up this week! Remoy has some stories to fill Samantha in on. They talk language traditions, how colonial/settler/imperialist institutions use language to marginalize indigenous communities, and how that translates to altering narratives about a painful past.Remoy talks us through  how the co-woman led Indian of All Tribes organization took over Alcatraz for a year-and-a-half and gets real about the astronomical impact of the genocide of indigenous peoples.He shares more female native activists like Shinanova who use their social media voices to pass on a continued message of resistance.Keestin shares key history about Frog Lake First Nations and its legacy in Alberta, Canada--specifically the Frog Lake Massacre. If you listen hard enough, you can hear how history is finding a way to repeat itself now.He lets us in on how his and other indigenous communities have had to fight postcolonial legacy to reclaim their history and identity, including redefining the notion of “warrior” and what it means to provide.Keestin inspires us to break through our illusions of language and masculinity. He shares the evolution of his own experience with masculinity, how a community of men was pivotal, and how that impacts the work he does today. COMPANION PIECES:Keestin's TEDx talk on perceptions of indigenous manhoodThe indigenous occupation of AlcatrazReferenced on this episode:54th Annual National Day of Mourning Demonstration in PlymouthLivestream the event on YoutubeDr. LaNada War JackRichard OakesIndian of All Tribes (IAT)ShinaNova

Happy Thursday! It's movie night AND trivia time on MASKulinity this week. Remoy and Samantha give each other their favorite film recommendations that expose MASKulinity in different ways. One is a thoughtful indie about a father-daughter vacation. It explores themes of loneliness, mental health issues, and human connection, using beautiful cinematic devices. We'll give you a few hints—it's not an American film and it's a coming-of-age story, perhaps not for whom you might think.The other is making waves on Netflix. A covert office romance gone wrong. A high-power couple sees their relationship tested in the battleground that is Wall Street when one unsuspectedly gets a promotion. The filmmaker asks a pertinent question: Why does a woman being powerful make a man feel powerless?There are spoilers in the companion pieces—you've been warned! COMPANION PIECES:UnMASKing the WorkplaceYa can't pour from an empty cup! How Men Can Take Better Care of Themselves

MASK is BACK! We're excited to kick off the new season of MASKulinity. It's a little different this time around. First off, we're now supported by Next Gen Men, your friendly neighborhood healthy masculinity organization based in Canada. Shout-out to them for doing the work to transform how the world sees and acts on masculinity.Remoy has also been living under a rock, writing, reading, traveling and staying the hell out of the news cycle. So each week, Samantha will put him up on game about all things news, pop culture, sports and more, working to try and make sense of this maskulinity thing. This episode they discuss #girlmath and #boymath, and healthy masculinity nemesis Andrew Tate!Our hosts are joined by podbro German Villegas, Next Gen Men board member and host of Modern Manhood,  on our post-COVID premiere to go further in depth into this masked collusion between influence and tech and how that's informing his next season of the pod.Previous episodes mentioned:The Racial Hierarchy of MASKulinity, with Dr. Liu - Part 1The Racial Hierarchy of MASKulinity - with Dr. Liu, Part 2

Today we are joined by Samantha Nzessi and Remoy Philip to do an an emergency Cold Takes to talk about Jerrod Carmichael's special "Rothanial" where he breaks down his vulnerabilities in a unique and special way. CW: We spoil the special, so make sure you watch it before you listen, but please watch it because it's great.

Travel! Workaway! The shock of self recognition! America! Europe! Coming of age! Validation! Creative pursuits! Maskulinity! Ideas! Hurdle film! Making good shit! Trauma! Gender! Programming! Producing! Podcasting! I met Remoy in 2013 on a volunteer project in Spain, 7 years later we tell the story, and much more… www.remoyphilip.com

Samantha and Remoy return on the airwaves to talk about Kobe Bryant and his passing. Some people are sad and some people are mad that he's being revered and missed so much, given his rape charge. We talk about the complexity of this news, and go deeper into why people are into their feelings. Samantha and Remoy offer different perspectives on this one, delving into competition and how we've come to understand it as a society, into Mamba mentality is so attractive, and yet how it's emblatic of maskulinity. Let us know what you think! maskulinitypodcast@whoistheo.com

This week, Samantha and Remoy have the pleasure of speaking with three open folks about their relationships to addiction and masculinity. How do expectations of strength and stoicism create isolation, and isolated suffering? What does it look like to care about someone who is dealing with addiction? We explore the different facets of recovery and how our relationships to our own vulnerability can hold us back. Addiction Resource Center: (833) 301-4357; arc@addictionpolicy.org

Black Panther is FINALLY out and Remoy and Samantha are excited to talk about it! They explore themes of unitythroughout the film, how traditional notions of masculinity are turned on their head, and how much of a badass Shuriis! They explore the dueling masculinities displayed by King T'Challa and Erik Killmonger, Okoye's embodiment ofwhat is usually thought of as masculine, and the importance bringing the intersections of race, culture and gender liveon screen in Ryan Coogler's masterpiece. Tune in and let them know what you think, atmaskulinitypodcast@whoistheo.com.

This week, Samantha and Remoy explore the blurrier regions of sexual consent. We've seen what happens when theJames Tobacks and Kevin Spaceys wield power for sex, but what if it's the beloved Aziz Ansari who gets a bitaggressive? What if it seems Grace had opportunities to say no and she didn't? What if you just don't want to have sexanymore? What if it's your spouse? MASKulinity looks why we need to redefine how we view and talk about sex andconsent, how we have to do our part to not be complicit.

In Season 2, Samantha and Remoy seek to uncover the systemic character of MASKulinity. They kick off with theillustrious Dr. Michael Kimmel, renowned sociologist and founder of CSMM at Stony Brook University, who dropsknowledge about why white men feel left behind, what class has to do with it, how embracing ambiguity is pivotal tosocial change. He shares a wise insight about the notions 'good man' versus 'real man', and the unexpected place hefound hope. All the dopeness can't fit in this description!

MASKulinity is still talking about sex. This time with an expert. Zat Baraka, men's life and sex coach, joins Samantha and Remoy this week to share what men deal with when it comes to sex. The three explore how men's relationships to their bodies and more specifically to their sex abilities play into performing masculinity and how embracing a new perspective on masculinity can lead to freedom and great sex for them and their partners! Tune in for some tips on how to support your masculine partners as well!

Samantha and Remoy are back!! This season MASKulinity focuses on deconstructing the performance of masculinity in specific spaces and aspects of life, starting with S.E.X. Our culture has such shame around it and before they talk to the experts this season, Samantha and Remoy share their own experiences and how they've come to grips with the ways they personally have been complicit in upholding maskulinity through sex.

Continuing with fatherhood this preseason, Remoy and Samantha meld minds with Pulitzer prize winning-author Greg Pardlo, on his book Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America. His father was one of the 11,000 air traffic controllers fired by Ronald Reagan in 1981, and with this book, Pardlo paints a vivid picture of his family life growing up, providing intimate insight into the connection between masculinity and labor in American society with the fallout of his father's career. The three look at the intersection blackness, masculinity and labor, then addiction, and how a man's sense of self can be based on everything outside of himself.

MASKulinity's first live show!! Samantha and Remoy had the amazing opportunity to talk about masculinity and fatherhood at First Person Plural, alongside poets and historians! Friend of the show, Mark Pagán, joins them to deepen the question of fatherhood and father figures. Have a listen for a thoughtful conversation on what fatherhood means for them and in their lives. The group also opens up about what it looks like to apply this new consciousness in real life and challenging themselves to walk the talk!

With the potential reversal of Roe vs Wade looming, Samantha and Remoy explore the implications of restricting reproductive rights with Heidi Sieck, founder and CEO of VOTEPROCHOICE, which is dedicated to putting votes behind pro-choice candidates. Heidi reveals that the US is actually 70% pro-choice and that patriarchal control maintains the facade. They stress the importance of creating a culture shift where sex is no longer shameful to talk about to come away from sexual suppression which impacts health.

In the second act of Racial Hierarchy, Dr. William Ming Liu breaks down men of color being tokenized, while white men, though still performing masculinity, have more freedom given our white supremacist society. Remoy reveals how exhausting the expectation of working much harder as a man of color is, which Dr. Liu breaks down as the economic and cultural legacy of the US, ie John Henryism. The three expose the unspoken understanding of living in brown bodies and the impact on our communities. Don't miss it.

Dr. William Liu – psychologist, professor and editor of the scholarly journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity – joins Samantha and Remoy to dissect the connection between White Supremacy and MASKulinity. First, Dr. Liu outlines the framework by exposing maskulinity's racial context. Dr. Liu then unpacks why hegemony can’t exist without a consenting middle class. Lastly, Dr. Liu breaks down how 'maskulinity' is fundamentally white maskulinity and how that of other cultures is therefore defined as deviant.

Samantha and Remoy take an opportunity to have a thoughtful phone call about Terry Crews, the importance of someone like him coming forward, someone whom no one expects to be a sexual assault survivor. They speculate on why he's being vilified and mocked and what that says about our culture, and how far we have to go.

This is part two of our conversation with Michael Rowley who is a filmmaker from Dallas Texas, who also made a film about Palestinian youths, specifically who do parkour. The movie is called Hurdle (Hurdlefilm.com). Now the reason why I wanted to split this into two is to highlight the very vulnerable and very honest way in which Michael approaches identity, either his own or of the people around him, including his subjects. Michael also hands out some amazing advice that mirrors David Ogle's and that actually began from a conversation that he and another past guest, Remoy, had. The trailer of Hurdle is here: https://vimeo.com/231203737/ec9eb0a431

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk to Julie Henderson, former NCAA basketball player turned model and Halston Bruce, powerlifter and personal trainer, about how women athletes interact with masculinity. They share about calling on masculinity and femininity differently, they each share the ways that they are supported by men within their athletic communities, as compared to the outside, where they deal with egos more. Samantha and Remoy confront their own attitudes about women in sports! Tune in!

This week, Samantha and Remoy are joined by Imran Siddiquee, who writes, makes film, and advocates for fair representation of race and gender in the media. He breaks down how film has instructed society how to be a man, looking back on what was once acceptable in TV and movies but now makes them cringe. Imran stresses how important it is for men to value perspectives other than their own to really challenge patriarchy, how having tough conversations is essential to that! Discount code: https://goo.gl/Y3ezYJ

Samantha and Remoy are joined by Sri Lankan American actor, activist, and comedian D’Lo who speaks openly about his experience being a transgender South Asian-American. First, D’Lo speaks thoughtfully about his family’s immigration from Sri Lanka to Southern California. Then he speaks about his experience of learning maskulinity in a South Asian immigrant community. Lastly, D’Lo eloquently unpacks what queer masculinity is and can be. Listen now.

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk about using creativity for support. Matt Nahoum, primary therapist at Integrated Creative Therapy and Recovery Specialist at East Village Access, shares his work using art to tap into the burden of maskulinity, dealing with trauma and addiction. They explore modeling and vulnerability in community, explore the creative tools used to support clients. Remoy gets brave and personal in this episode, and the hosts collective decide it’s time to try art therapy!

The show gets personal this week. Samantha and Remoy are joined by Reema Sharma, outreach fellow at SAKHI, a NYC-based organization dedicated to providing support to South Asian women survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The group distinguishes similar patriarchal structures pervading through Western versus non-Western cultures, acknowledging the traumatic impact of process of immigration on brown families and how that compounds the performance of masculinity.

This week, Samantha and Remoy get into how education can be a positive actor in young men’s mental health. What does it look like implement an education system that factors in young black men’s needs? Dr. Obari Cartman, a Chicago-based clinical psychologist and full-range expert, who primarily works with black men and boys, lets them in on the other side of the mask, uncovering the education system’s impact on young black men, and shares forms of community that black men respond to deal with their mental health. They also cover hip hop and the importance of owning what we like to listen to and redefine power.

This week, Samantha and Remoy get into how education can be a positive actor in young men’s mental health. What does it look like implement an education system that factors in young black men’s needs? Dr. Obari Cartman, a Chicago-based clinical psychologist and full-range expert, who primarily works with black men and boys, lets them in on the other side of the mask, uncovering the education system’s impact on young black men, and shares forms of community that black men respond to deal with their mental health. They also cover hip hop and the importance of owning what we like to listen to and redefine power.

This week, Samantha and Remoy revisit to men's mental health. They are joined by Justin Lioi, men’s therapist supporting them at differing points in their lives: new dads, unassertive guys and angry dudes. They talk about everything from modeling behaviors for children to men appearing aloof in moments when they’re feeling pain and don’t want to burden their partner. Justin advises on how to seek support as a man, and people can move the men in their lives to seek support. Tune in for this insight episode!

It’s Mental Health Month! Samantha and Remoy stress how, in order to de-stigmatize mental health, it’s on us to make it as important yet banal as physical health in our day-to-day lives. Not dealing with mental illness has led to shocking stats, revealing its monumental impact on our society. Resident therapist Justin Lioi shares what men come to him for, defines depression and anxiety and how they manifest. Finally, Remoy gets personal about his own struggles and how he got free in this pivotal episode.

This week, Samantha and Remoy revisit to men's mental health. They are joined by Justin Lioi, men’s therapist supporting them at differing points in their lives: new dads, unassertive guys and angry dudes. They talk about everything from modeling behaviors for children to men appearing aloof in moments when they’re feeling pain and don’t want to burden their partner. Justin advises on how to seek support as a man, and people can move the men in their lives to seek support. Tune in for this insight episode!

Samantha and Remoy peel back the layers on what they actually mean when they discuss “dominant standard” and “hegemony”. They then award their bronze, silver and gold to hegemonic pop culture tropes that perfectly reflect these concepts. Without giving too much away, “being like Mike”, transformers, a strong dislike of Tyler Perry movies come up in the conversation! Then, Remoy sits down with his friend, economist Eli moore, to talk fatherhood and economics for MASKulinity’s first Teddy Perkins (Champagne Papi) segment.

What happens when we look at men performing something other than masculinity on purpose and for fun? Samantha and Remoy are joined this week by the illustrious Ben Strothmann, also known by his drag name of Honey LaBronx! Ben puts the hosts on game about what drag actually is, how the performance of masculinity is alive and well in the MSM community, and his own definition of “toxic masculinity”. The three explore how drag is a freeing self-expression as a contrast to the masks of masculinity and femininity that we are confined to.

This is week on MASKulinity, Remoy and Samantha are joined by Anthonine Pierre, Deputy Director at Brooklyn Movement Center. Anthonine shares about fighting street harassment through the collective No Disrespect, underlining how important it has been to have men involved in this effort. Samantha shares her own recent instances of street harassment and Remoy and Anthonine ponder what it looks like for people, men especially, to intervene when witnessing it. They talk about the causes of harassment, and discuss the importance of people who are directly impacted by issues to be leading those movements.

Led by Samantha Nzessi and Remoy Philip the first, MASKulinity podcast is a conversation about their lives and how masculinity was shaping it, from the female side and from the internal male side. I had a chance to talk to both Samantha and Remoy about the genesis of their show, the way masculinity is performed in their lives, and the work of media around our premises. Samantha and Remoy, both from Brooklyn, New York are in the middle of their second season, and they started off with a bang, bringing up scholar and savant Michael Kimmel from the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities from Stony Brook University. You can also check out Remoy's blog here to find out about his interviews that I mention on the show

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk masculinity as a non-binary. What does it mean to redefine masculinity as a transgender man and gender-nonconforming person? Ryann Holmes of bklyn boihood helps us navigates the tough waters of non-conformity, and what it looks like to provide support and space for boihood while dealing with one's own notions and performance of masculinity, individually and collectively. Ryann shares useful and practical knowledge that everyone can use to move the needle forward, while emphasizing the need for safe spaces.

Not Samantha and Remoy! Ha! This week, they explore one of the incentives behind keeping traditional gender roles alive: profit. They start by reflecting on the Parkland shooting, veering into the gun safety and addressing men’s and women’s uses of guns, eventually understanding how the performance of masculinity is a central component to 42% of American households owning at least one gun. They address why men-led movies make the most money, and close out by highlighting how binary systems as being central to 1% capitalism.

Samantha and Remoy continue this season with more illustrious guests! This week, Hudson Taylor paints a picture of accountability in the world of sports, at all levels. He founded Athlete Ally, an organization that keeps coaches and school at high school, college and professional levels accountable for ensuring that LGBTQ athletes are treated and equally. He shares how athletes are discouraged from being vocal about political issues, and some tips on how to do your part as an ally to move up the ally commitment curve. Don't miss this insightful episode!!

“HELPING YOUTH IS A KEY TO BUILDING A MORE CONSCIENTIOUS, RESPONSIBLE, AND PRODUCTIVE SOCIETY” is the Boy Scouts of America tagline. But conscientious and responsible doesn’t mean inclusive. At least it didn’t for a long time. Samantha and Remoy are joined by Eric Busse, Training & Volunteer Engagement Director at Scouts for Equality, who breaks down what it looks like to hold such an established American institution accountable for their exclusionary policies and practices. He shares the organization’s successes and he and Remoy trade stories about their own experiences as Scouts. Tune in!

Black Panther is FINALLY out and Remoy and Samantha are excited to talk about it! They explore themes of unity throughout the film, how traditional notions of masculinity are turned on their head, and how much of a badass Shuri is! They explore the dueling masculinities displayed by King T’Challa and Erik Killmonger, Okoye’s embodiment of what is usually thought of as masculine, and the importance of bringing the intersections of race, culture and gender live on screen in Ryan Coogler’s masterpiece. Tune in and let them know what you think, at maskulinitypodcast@whoistheo.com.

In the past 40 years, the American prison population has increased from 300,000 to 1.6 million. This week, Samantha and Remoy examine the prison industrial complex and the cyclical impacts of mass incarceration on men and society. They are joined by Alejo Rodriguez who faced incarceration himself before becoming the Mentor and Alumni Coordinator at the Prison Reentry Institute and shares his wisdom, weighing in on the dehumanization and intergenerational perpetuation of incarceration, how bullies are rewarded and how men are only allowed to deal with anger and pain.

This week, Samantha and Remoy explore the blurrier regions of sexual consent. We've seen what happens when the James Tobacks and Kevin Spaceys wield power for sex, but what if it's the beloved Aziz Ansari who gets a bit aggressive? What if it seems Grace had opportunities to say no and she didn't? What if you just don't want to have sex anymore? What if it's your spouse? MASKulinity looks why we need to redefine how we view and talk about sex and consent, and how we've mostly been complicit to our existing notions until now; it's not enough to choose sides anymore, we all have to do our part.

Welcome back! In Season 2, Samantha and Remoy are looking forward to understanding the systemic character of MASKulinity. They kick it off with the illustrious Dr. Michael Kimmel, founder of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University, digging into his last book Angry White Men to understand how a group whom most consider to be the most privileged could be feeling left behind. Listen as Dr. Kimmel offers key insights about the notion of a 'good man' versus that of a 'real man', and how, in anticipation for his new book, Healing from Hate, he opens up about a surprising outcome for him when finishing this new book about life after extremism. Finally, they close out with an effective solution to this gender conundrum. Tune in!

Bonus episode! The first season of MASKulinity closed out last week, but Samantha and Remoy couldn't go without sharing their conversation with Jason Tan de Bibiana from NextGenMen! Jason shares his work as a researcher with Samantha and Remoy, and lays out what it looks like to teach young men to be responsible and supported in their social lives, and to talk about those gendered things that they just don't teach in schools relative to what it's like to grow into a young man. Samantha, Remoy and Jason talk about the future of education, NextGenMen's initiatives working with adults and show a lil appreciation for Canadian artists.

In the season 1 finale of MASKulinity, Samantha and Remoy go “one-on-one” to get to the core of some of the toughest issues plaguing masculinity. First, Samantha perceptively discerns the difference between enjoying being desired and simply being objectified. Next, Remoy and Samantha try to make sense of the policing of women’s sexuality. They explore the predicament of the “nice guy.” Samantha and Remoy then speak about the intersections within racism and privilege and how seeing those intersections is everyone’s responsibility. Finally, they recap their first season, give shoutouts and tell us what’s on the horizon for season 2 of MASKulinity.

South Bronx native, Christopher Saunders, joins Samantha and Remoy to shed some light on how masculinity has affected the 'hood. Saunders shares some eye-opening stories from his childhood growing up in the South Bronx. Saunders goes on to uncover the way masculinity is tied to survival and not just for men but for everyone in the 'hood. Saunders also speaks to how the LGBTQ community is prevalent in the 'hood, but how masculinity seeks to silence their voice. Finally, Saunders tells the story of how when driving a block away from Times Square, he was pulled over and arrested and how that shaped his current journey into the criminal justice system.

With the Harvey Weinstein scandal looming, Samantha and Remoy take the opportunity to look at the overarching power of Hollywood. First, Remoy illustrates how TV and Movies taught him to take a kiss from a woman. Next, Samantha speaks to the dehumanizing power of the cinematic “male gaze.” Lastly, both Samantha and Remoy dive into the Weinstein story and seek out opportunities for men to be better accountable to one another.

West Texas pastor, David Ritchie, joins Samantha and Remoy to explore the complex intersection of Christianity and masculinity. David tells the story of how he was born into Christianity, how he sought out other philosophies and religions, and finally returned to the Faith with a greater hope for what the the Faith could be. David reflects on how Christianity, in its purest form, is incredibly progressive when it comes to gender roles. Finally, David speaks to how Christianity has been co-opted for the greater evil more than for the greater good, and the three of them explore how all of us are impacted.

This week, Samantha and Remoy navigate some hot news items. First, they unpack how ESPN, in trying to censor SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill’s opinion, validates the worldview that women are inferior. Next, they paint a vivid picture of what actual verbal abuse looks like. And lastly, they look at the tragedy in Las Vegas and come to understand that there are stratifications of privilege and compassion within masculinity.

This week, Samantha and Remoy tackle a long-awaited topic: Single-Sex Education. Is it helpful or does it just reinforce stereotypes about boys and girls?? They are joined by Regine Roy, founder and CEO of Queen Geniuses, an organization dedicated to teenage girls' growth and development, and Barry Cooper, formerly High School Dean of Eagle Academy for Young Men, Ocean Hill, in Brooklyn, now starting his own program working with men and boys, and author of a book about successfully co-parenting. These guys make a strong case for single-sex education and it's not at all what Samantha and Remoy think. Check it out...

This week, Samantha and Remoy explore why men fight, actually more like why they think they should at least want to fight; talk about the bravery of 5 men stepping forward to denounce Ed Murray's criminally gross ways and how this could inspire other men to do the same; and address just one more thing that men deal with that we don't talk about: eating disorders. Tune in this week for some insights and conversation about how Men Got Issues.

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk to the wondrous Jimmie Briggs, a renowned journalist who wondered unchartered waters to found an organization empowering youth around the world to combat gender-based violence. fromSouth Africa, to Pakistan, to Oakland, The Man Up! Campaign has had an impact around the world. Jimmie also talks to the duo about his own experience with manhood and maskulinity, and how it's impacted his life as a father and as an activist. He's just so cool.

This week, Samantha and Remoy plunge us back into summer news that has yet to have an update. R. Kelly's sex cult of 19 to 22-yr-olds, Betsy DeVos penchant for men's rights on college campuses, Men Against Women in LAPD and even a little interracial romance. Listen as they explore what the MASK has to do with it all.

In this episode of MASKulinity, Samantha and Remoy are joined by Yuval Moses, a therapist from the Crime Victims Treatment Center in New York, who works with men who have survived various forms of violence. He drops knowledge on the way suffering affects men (16:54), men being the victims of violent crime (22:36), how men can recover from sexual violence (30:50), and where survivors of violent crime can find help (41:22).  In the process, Yuval schools us on what’s needed from society to resensitize us to being sympathetic and an understanding of how violence affects men.  

For the preview episode of MASKulinity, we give you a sneak peek of what’s to come! What do Samantha and Remoy have up their sleeve?? What’s society been up to in order to maintain this unattainable persona?

For the first official episode of MASKulinity, Samantha and Remoy reflect on the events of Charlottesville, #ripheatherheyer, and the link between white supremacy and masculinity (4:06). Remoy catches Samantha off guard with “Tweets of the Day” (19:55). Also, apparently the reason why women are less represented in positions of leadership and in the technology field has nothing to do with sexism. No, their brains are just different. Whaaa…! (23:08)