What’s it mean to be a man?
This?
That’s the question these boys — and a few girls — are thinking about. They’re watching one supposedly masculine image after another on TV.
These kids are not buying what they see.
76% of us don’t believe in stereotypes, according to research, and 91% of people surveyed think they’re harmful. 54% believe they’re especially harmful to kids.
These young kids have already figured out that stereotypes aren’t real. They see being yourself as more important than fitting someone else’s image of what a man is supposed to be.
They’re just too busy getting to know themselves. And they like who they’re turning out to be.
If that doesn’t fit the stereotype, no biggie. The “real men” they see — and the people they’re turning out to become — are more interesting than any stereotype.
They see it around their houses.
And their own interests just mean too much to them.
One points out that the idea that only some toys are for boys is silly.
What makes the “perfect man”?
Another boy adds, about the perfect man: “And he likes caring for animals.”
These boys and girls have the right idea.
Hopefully their generation is finally growing up in a world where all these senseless limitations no longer apply. Those limitations belong to a past that’s passed.
He knows the old rules don’t apply.
