Level Up
Resources on masculinity, media, and relational manhood.
8 Documentaries on Masculinity, Patriarchy, and Change
Here are eight documentaries about patriarchy, masculinity, gender equity, and change that we’ve seen (plus one that we are patiently waiting to see). Some focus on violence, others on mental health and relationships; some zoom in on the personal, while others zoom out on the political. We promise they’ll have you fired up either way. Links to their trailers + where you can find the full versions!
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The Myth of the Alpha Male
There’s no such thing as an “alpha male.”
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The Bechdel Test
The Bechdel test, also known as the Bechdel–Wallace test, is a measure of the representation of women in film and other fiction. It has become one of the most widely used frameworks for evaluating gender representation in media. The Pass/Fail version of the Men in Media test is modeled after the Bechdel-Wallace test's format.
Boys Don't Cry (Except When They Do)
Since we all know that boys (and men) do cry, this video focuses on the relatively narrow set of social circumstances where those tears are permitted.
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Helping Boys Express Masculinity Without Masks
Christopher Pepper of Teen Health Today writes about The Ever Forward Club and its founder, Ashanti Branch. Learn how the club got its start, what they do now, and how you can bring their lessons to your own community.
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Men's Lib subreddit
/r/MensLib is a community to explore and address men's issues in a positive and solutions-focused way. Through discussing the male gender role, providing mutual support, raising awareness on men's issues, and promoting efforts that address them, we hope to create active progress on issues men face, and to build a healthier, kinder, and more inclusive masculinity.
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Next Gen Men Alliance
NGM Alliance is a free, safe online community hosted on Discord for masculine-identifying youth in middle school and high school. "Our goal is to be the safest and most uplifting community on Discord for guys and nonbinary youth to hang out, connect, get support, and discuss important topics." The most popular games include Minecraft, Fortnite, Valorant and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Newt Scamander, protagonist of the Harry Potter spinoff, is an unconventional male hero. He performs a refreshingly atypical form of masculinity, especially for the lead in a fantasy adventure story.
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Pop Culture Detective (video essays)
Video essays by cultural critic Jonathan McIntosh that investigate the meaning and messages in popular media. Every video explores the intersections of sociology, masculinity, politics, and entertainment. Masterfully curated and produced, these videos expose what's been hiding in plain sight all along.
External link → Favourite examples of positive masculinity in media?
Extensive discussion and list of recommendations on reddit
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Watching Gender: How Stereotypes in Movies and on TV Impact Kids' Development
Media that perpetuates rigid gender roles and stereotypes can affect children's sense of self, relationships, and career aspirations. Common Sense Media's 2017 research report explores the effects of gender-biased media on children's development.
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Common Stereotypes of Men in Media
Media analysts and researchers argue that entertainment media develops male characters that fall within a range of harmful stereotypes -- not across a range of healthy manhoods.
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Teen Boys on their Portrayal in the Media
Teen boys react to scenes from The Boys & Euphoria — & aren’t impressed by the portrayal of young men
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The Man Box
Understanding the Man Box — a set of rigid expectations that define what it means to 'be a man' in many cultures.
The Unfulfilled Potential of Video Games
Interactive media has the incredible potential to deliver a wide range of immersive, emotional experiences, yet year after year the gaming industry seems to fall back on one underlying theme -- kill or be killed.
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Voice Male Magazine
Step into the powerful world of positive masculinity with the latest issue of Voice Male Magazine. For over 40 years, Voice Male has been the definitive voice chronicling the feminist men’s movement. Published by Next Gen Men.
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The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love (bell hooks)
In The Will to Change, bell hooks gets to the heart of the matter and shows men how to express the emotions that are a fundamental part of who they are—whatever their age, marital status, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. But toxic masculinity punishes those fundamental emotions, and it’s so deeply ingrained in our society that it’s hard for men to not comply—but hooks wants to help change that.
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Men in Media test -- 3 tracks: Dominance, Questioning, Relational
The Men in Media (MIM) test has a Deep Dive version with three scoring tracks. Together, these tracks map the full terrain of manhood on screen — the status quo model that confines and harms; a model for the struggle to break free from dominance norms; and a relational model that connects, cares, and collaborates.
Dads Get Messy at This Year’s Oscars, with Bilge Ebiri
Dads are everywhere in movies this Oscar season. Not the cartoonish deadbeat or the overbearing patriarch— but something more honest and multidimensional than ever before. They’re dads living through the tradeoffs many men actually face: between ambition and presence, between providing for a family and being part of one. Many of the 2026 Oscar contenders gave us something we haven’t quite seen before: fathers complicated enough to break your heart.
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