Episode 140: Lost boys & The Lost Boys

What does it mean to be a man? The Lost Boys gives us a window into one version of that answer and it isn't pretty. In this episode we use the film to explore masculinity and what the research tells us about how boys develop their sense of who they are, what it means to be strong, and what they risk losing when the only version of masculinity on offer is rigid, stoic and built on control. We talk about why masculinity itself isn't the problem but rigidity is, how boys often police each other's masculinity in ways that punish vulnerability and reward dominance, and why fixing individual attitudes while leaving peer culture and school systems unchanged rarely works. We look at what the Man Box research tells us about the very real costs of rigid masculinity for boys themselves, including depression, isolation and suicide, and what it actually looks like to raise boys who are strong in all the right ways. This one is for every parent, carer and educator who wants to do better for the boys in their lives. We can't wait to read your reflections, questions and advice.