Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity

Tough Guise is a first-of-its-kind analysis of masculinity. It studies the relationship between pop-culture and the social construction of masculinity in the US and throughout the beginning of the 21st century. It examines violence in America, for example school shootings, and overly-aggressive portrayals of men in the media.

The first part of Tough Guise, “Understanding Violent Masculinity,” defines our current “crisis in masculinity” through a look at history. Today, we are bombarded with exaggerated masculinity in music videos, movies, toys, and video games that associate masculinity to power, dominance, and control, that affect not only our boys, but our girls as well. The second part of Tough Guise, “Violent Masculinity in Action,” claims how the media may be responsible for this violence and offers alternative solutions to this crisis.

The film is made by Jackson Katz, who is a leading male activist against sexism. He is also an author and educator who teaches men about gender violence. He is the co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention Program (MVP), which is a focuses on the prevention of gender violence in professional and college athletics.