BREAKING THE BOX
Breaking the Box is the 3rd activity in the DO YOU curriculum. Its purpose is to get participants to think critically about gender socialization. The following resources are to support their understanding of gender beyond the binary as well as a links to appropriate videos to be used during the warm-up activity.
The Gender Unicorn from TSER
The Gender Elephant from CCGSD
Resources on Gender
Both the Gender Unicorn and the Gender Elephant aim to define and explain the differences between gender identity, gender expression, sex assigned at birth, physical attraction and emotional attraction in a graphic way. While the 7th lesson in DO YOU, The Whole You, has more space to discuss these differences, it is still important for facilitators to understand the ways gender stereotypes and roles impact how our own understanding of our gender identities, how we express our gender, and even who we are attracted to. You can build your own capacity by using Sex and Gender Identity from Planned Parenthood.
Breaking the Box asks DO YOU participants to imagine a world without gender stereotypes or limitations on how they see themselves; this imagining may include and exploration of gender identities or expressions that are new to the participants or create a space for participants to name feelings they’ve been having for a while.
Suggested Warm-Up Videos
The warm-up activity for Breaking the Box is a facilitated discussion on videos about gender representation, stereotypes, and binary constructions of masculinity and femininity. We recommend choosing 1-2 of the following videos that best suit the needs of your group and leading a short discussion. Check-back occasionally because we hope to update this resource as we find new and exciting videos. Have a suggestion? E-mail rwilliams@vsdvalliance.org.
Gender Roles and Stereotypes (1:47)
“People have occasionally felt pressure to act or look a certain way based on their gender. This pressure can make people unhappy, if they are being asked to be or act in a way that does not match who they really are. Today people have more freedom than ever to express themselves in ways that feel true to who they are, regardless of their gender.”
Stuart Hall – Race, Gender, Class in the Media (3:20)
“Jamaican-British cultural historian Stuart Hall gives us the tools to understand how representation is always imbued with ideology - and how to subvert it.”
Gender Machine (1:54)
“So let’s say there’s this machine…”
I Dressed Feminine and Masculine for a Day (9:58)
“Is gender just a costume? “
Change the Way You Look at Women (2:00)
“If all the women in ads look the same, what illusion are we promoting for our daughters?”
Ten Responses to the Phrase “Man Up” (3:29)
A poem performed by Guante. *Video contains explicit language”
Demand Better Media in 2015 (2:49)
“We all – men and boys, women and girls – must combat harmful stereotypes and demand better representation in our media and culture at large.”