Packaging Boyhood: Saving Our Sons from Superheroes, Slackers, and Other Media Stereotypes - Hardcover

Player. Jock. Slacker. Competitor. Superhero. Goofball. Boys are besieged by images in the media that encourage slacking over studying; competition over teamwork; power over empower - ment; and being cool over being yourself. From cartoons to video games, boys are bombarded with stereotypes about what it means to be a boy, including messages about violence, risktaking, and perfecting an image of just not caring.Straight from the mouths of over 600 boys surveyed from across the U.S., the authors offer parents a long, hard look at what boys are watch ing, reading, hearing, and doing. They give parents advice on how to talk with their sons about these troubling images and provide them with tools to help their sons resist these mes sages and be their unique selves.

LYN MIKEL BROWN, ED.D., Professor of Education at Colby College, is the author ofGirlfighting and Raising Their Voices. SHARON LAMB, ED.D., Professor of Psychology at Saint Michael’s College, is the author ofThe Secret Lives of Girls and Sex, Therapy, and Kids. MARK TAPPAN, ED.D., Professor of Education at Colby College, writes about boys’ development and education, and conducts workshops for parents and teachers on the impact of media on boys.