Who Told You That? Creativity, Masculinity & The Way Forward

Who Told You That? is a student-led evening of conversation exploring how storytelling, design, media, music, film, and other creative practices can help shape healthier, more emotionally literate, and more connected ideas of masculinity.

Bringing together voices from across the creative industries, alongside perspectives from education, community, and social well-being, this event explores how lasting cultural change can be shaped — not only by what we create, but by the systems and spaces that surround us.

This evening will feature:

🎤 Guest panel Q & A 👉 Guest speakers to be announced

💭 Student innovation showcase

🧀 Light nibbles (cheese)

🧠 Heavy exchanging of ideas

But why?

At the beginning of trimester our student group was tasked with identifying and responding to a complex systemic problem. Our exploration led us to harmful gender norms and the cultural impact of toxic masculinity, as we worked to better understand where these ideas come from and how they might be challenged. We found that while modern masculinity appears to be progressing toward a more emotionally intelligent, equality-driven ideal, the rapid rise of the manosphere, with its emphasis on dominance and rigid gender roles, reveals an undeniable and unresolved tension between two very different value systems.

This isn’t anything new, but we’re asking why it persists. Where do our current systems fall short, and what do we need to do differently? In response, and with the recognition that lasting cultural change is a collective effort, our project has evolved into this event: a gathering of creative thinkers and key stakeholders with the goal of opening up conversation around healthier masculinity and collaboratively imagining more constructive cultural responses.

This is not a lecture, and it is not a finger pointing exercise. Whether you’re making culture, supporting people, shaping systems, or simply interested in the conversation, this is a space to interrogate your beliefs, question where they come from, and take responsibility for what comes next.

whotoldyouthat.github.io / @who_told_you_that_bne

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