The Bro Code

Extending from the belief that masculinities are multiple, consisting of complexities and constructions that make up the traits associated with each, this book explores the various ways in which boys and men are conditioned to view women as inferior to themselves and predominantly sexual objects―and the deleterious effects this has on both women and men, society, and culture at large.

Beginning in childhood, the book provides a critical framework to understand one form of masculinity referred to as "bro culture," and how it is reproduced and reinforced through popular culture, social institutions, and patriarchal forms of religion and politics. Weaving together current research with illuminating historical and contemporary examples, Thomas Keith unpacks the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that constitute this subculture and reveals the ways in which traditional and outdated codes of manhood, power, and gender relations have evolved into problematic forms of sexism, misogyny, and abuse. For as much as popular culture is revealed to be a contributing factor in the passage of bro codes, the book also includes examples of cultural forces that are challenging and seeking to overthrow the core tenets in powerful and lasting ways.

Timely and thought-provoking, The Bro Code addresses the implications of an enduring social problem and moves us to reflect on ways to empower men away from this toxic form of masculinity.

Thomas Keith teaches philosophy and gender studies at Claremont Graduate University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has wrote, directed, and produced the bestselling Media Education Foundation films Generation M: Misogyny in Media and Culture and The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men, which are used in classrooms around the world. His latest film, The Empathy Gap: Masculinity and the Courage to Change, was released in 2015 and has been met with sensational reviews. He recently published Masculinities in Contemporary American Culture (Routledge 2017).