A Dark and Gripping PSA Shows How ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ Breeds Toxic Masculinity

Article here. Google the first paragraph to jump the paywall. Excerpt:

'The roots of toxic masculinity and gender violence run deep in “Boys Don’t Cry,” an affecting short film from Canadian social-advocacy group White Ribbon, agencies Bensimon Byrne and Narrative, and Academy-award nominated documentary director Hubert Davis.

Told in gripping quick-cut style, the narrative packs plenty of punches—literally and figuratively—into its 3-minute runtime, taking us through key events in a boy’s life, from early childhood through his late teen years. This smart, shy, sensitive kid grows increasingly troubled against a backdrop domestic discord, as well as bullying by his classmates. Making matters worse, he’s repeatedly told that he must remain strong—and never cry.

Repressing a shy and awkward nature, he builds his body and eventually becomes a schoolyard terror. At one point, after he’s beaten one of his peers to a pulp, his father, called to a meeting in the principal’s office, dismisses the violence as “boys being boys.”

He’s detached, angry and prone to outbursts—a proverbial ticking time-bomb. Near the end, he makes advances toward a young woman in a scene that puts his development in chillingly stark perspective:'