The Sew Manly Podcast

Small things we say to kids can have very large impacts on their life. This is the case with both the words we speak in kindness as well as those throwaway lines about "what a boy does" or "what a girl does."

In this episode I talk with Shannon Hale, author of books like Princess Academy, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and The Princess in Black about the differences she sees in how her stories are received by boys and girls and how the gendered treatment of stories (and so much of the way we treat kids) is problematic.

We also talk about representation in stories and in authors and the importance for parents to seek out diverse stories to share with their kids and to focus on conversations and questions afterwards.

A very useful shift you can make today is how you positions and talk about stories. Talk about genres of stories, and as she mentions, talk about a book as being "about" a boy or a girl versus being "for" a boy or a girl.

We even get in to the completely ridiculous treatment of women superheroes on clothes for boys. Things like the absence of raven and Starfire in Teen Titans Go! merchandise and the oft-discussed swapping out of Captain America for Black Widow in Avengers merchandise.

On gender and reading: www.squeetus.com/genderread.html Books by Shannon Hale: www.shannonhale.com/books.html Shannon Hale on Twitter: twitter.com/haleshannon New Study Shows Us That Female Superheroes Give Girls Confidence and Inspiration themarysue.com/female-superhero-study

Mental health is a topic I speak about often. I think of it as a very important part of me as a person and it is not something I look at with shame.

In this episode I chat with psychotherapist Amanda Carver about the things that may prevent men and boys from talking about their mental health and the impacts this withholding of emotion can have in a number of areas.

One takeaway (although there are many here) is to ensure that when we talk with our boys, we give them space for emotional exploration. We allow them to feel and make sure they understand this is okay.

acarverpsychotherapy.com

twitter.com/2amandalynn2

Hasan Hai is the man behind the stunningly popular MerB'ys calendar. I'd go into detail about how exactly this calendar looks, but it's better if you just go see for yourself.

This is a great exploration into the way men are often expected to reject glitter and mermaids and the stereotypically feminine. We also talked about learning to check in on friends and about spreading kindness for the sake of spreading kindness.

It was also great to talk to someone who admits to constantly learning ways to be more inclusive, understanding that this is a process that doesn't have an end.

It is also wonderful to see the work they are doing is also benefiting organizations that work to end violence against women and children.

Project Kindness NL: https://www.facebook.com/projectkindnessNL

Doing the Thing: Ideas to Action | Hasan Hai | TEDxStJohns: https://youtu.be/QXmRQDvnQAE

Newfoundland and Labrador Beard & Moustache Club (NLBMC): https://www.nlbmc.com

In the first-ever episode of the Sew Manly podcast, I chat with Rachel Miner, Executive Director of Random Acts, actor, and all around amazing person.

We talk about RandomActs, kindness as strength, managing through sadness, and some of our favourite presentations of masculinity in popular culture and history.

RandomActs: randomacts.org

Rachel Miner on Twitter: twitter.com/RachelMiner1

Newt Scamander's fabulous masculinity: youtu.be/C4kuR1gyOeQ

Newt Scamander cross-stitch pattern: StitchFiddle.com/c/sipvtj-gchkfe/quickview

William Wilberforce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce

Talking about what it means to be a man. Discussing masculinity, feminism, parenthood, and social issues, all while talking about some of our favourite role models and developing a cross-stitch pattern for them.