Men's Day in the WRC

Many times at the Women’s Resource Center we hear men ask, “What about the men? Where is the Men’s Resource Center?”  To invite men into the WRC we had a special "Men's Day" and even our sign reflected the event.  We had about 20 men attend to eat chicken wings (the wings were delicious and we went through 300 in one hour!), play the John Madden video game, and watch the movie, Tough Guise, which shows how violent masculinities are constructed in popular movies such as Rambo, The Terminator, and James Bond.

Tough Guise is a film by the Media Education Foundation and narrated by Jackson Katz.  The film looks at media representations of men and how they help produce a specific and often violent social construction of masculinity.  The film is a real eye-opener and will make you think about how men are taught to act and re-think how little boys are socialized. Several men had strong reactions to the film, that is, they had never had an opportunity before to discuss how they are pressured to conform to a rigid ideal of masculinity that requires that they act tough. 

Kris Spreeman ran the video games and his participation in the day was much appreciated.  His Madden Football Games skills were much admired by all participants.  Kris suggested ways we can improve the second annual Men's Day by hosting a tournament and offering prizes.  So stay tuned for next year's Men's Day in the WRC..

And men don't have to wait until next year to cross the threshold of the WRC again.  Men are welcome to use our services, attend our programs, and engage in often lively discussions about gender.