boys will be human
an excerpt from justin baldoni's new book
Dearest community,
I wanted to thank you for all the warm feedback on the last few posts. From what I’m gathering, you’re craving more stories about mental wellness and healthy relationships so I wanted to let you know that I’m hearing you and I’m going to lean into giving you more of what you say you need from me. Thanks for being an important part of our little mental health club, and being so open and honest about your healing journey. When you share it gives others permission to share too.
As I’ve been watching the mixed reviews for the new romantic comedy Bros, by Billy Eichner, (the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film) I’ve been reflecting on how few movies test the boundaries of mainstream masculinity, especially for a younger male audience. While there are a lot of stories about boys, there aren’t many that have their well-being at heart. Boys are usually the protagonists in the stories we tell, but the lessons aren’t always clear. For instance, they’re often taught to overcome fear, but not supported in discovering the healthy ways to do it. While there’s been a reckoning about the way that we represent girls in movies and television, there hasn’t been as much care in the messages that boys are receiving from the male role models they see on their screens.
That’s why I’m overjoyed to share an excerpt from my friend Justin Baldoni with you. We host the Man Enough podcast together with Jamey Heath and today his new book to help boys develop positive masculinity comes out. It’s called Boys Will Be Boys Human: A Get-Real Gut-Check Guide to Becoming the Strongest, Kindest, Bravest Person You Can Be and I think it’s a beautiful companion to his first book Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity. There aren’t a lot of resources that can help protect our boys so I’m thankful Justin has devoted himself to closing that gap. It’s a fantastic book to buy for any boy in your life or for expecting parents. To give you a taste, I’m sharing my favorite passage with you where Justin explains consent with my favorite food group: french fries.
