31 JAN 2025

Year 6&8 Masculinity Talk

Students had an impactful personal development talk

This week, Year 6 and 8 students took part in an insightful talk with Matt Pinkett, exploring masculinity—what it looks like and how it can be positive.

Toby Cutler, Prep School Teacher, said: "Matt spoke about toxic masculinity, making it clear that not all men are bad but that certain behaviours are more common among men. He introduced the idea of tender masculinity—a way to be masculine without the toxic elements."

Key themes of the talk included:
Consent—understanding and respecting boundaries.
Toxic vs Tender Masculinity
Aggression vs Kindness
Violence vs Keeping the peace
Emotional isolation vs Emotional openness
Dominating others vs Taking the lead from others
Putting others down vs Lifting others up
Ignoring boundaries vs Respecting boundaries

Students also explored positive male role models like The Rock, Romesh Ranganathan, and Gavin & Smithy, discussing how openness and emotional expression can support men’s mental health.

It was a very thought-provoking session that challenged perspectives and encouraged meaningful conversations. Thank you, Matt!