This episode started with a very specific backstory: a student symposium in northern Alberta wanted a session on gender stereotypes with boys, and not a single teacher volunteered to facilitate it. So we recorded one instead—an accessible version of the Man Box activity that any educator listening could see themselves leading.

Lucas and Kashyap take on the brainstorm as a competition, rattling off stereotypes about how guys are supposed to look, spend their time, express emotion, compete, and navigate dating and relationships. Along the way, the conversation takes its own turns—into looksmaxxing and skincare, the pressure on guys to make the first move, the nuance between being gay and acting gay, and whether it matters that no one ever sat us down and taught us the rules of manhood. The episode closes with Lucas reflecting on the nerves and surprises of his first job, and a shared observation about how adults show up—or don’t—for young people’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Breaking the Boy Code is part of the NGM Podcast Network. Next Gen Men is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging boys and men in the movement for gender justice. Learn more about our efforts and how you can support us at nextgenmen.ca. Reach out at [email protected] or on social media.

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