Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Monday 14 July
6:15 PM - 7:45 PM
Rather than being consigned to history, the masculine ideals and language of yesteryear have been making a comeback. Notions of physical and moral weakness have been associated with almost-forgotten schoolyard terminology such as ‘wimp’, or ‘goodies and baddies’. Masculinity is once more being equated with strength, resolve and decisiveness.
Why are these old-fashioned terms seeping back into the lexicon, when the notion of what it means to be a man has changed so dramatically in the past few decades? What are the current ideals of masculinity that young men are aspiring to in the media and public life?
In Jennifer Granger’s book Feminine Lost, she examines how traditional gender roles have been completely upended – and yet many have been slow to adapt to the new power dynamic. She is joined by writer and broadcaster Clementine Ford, author and commentator Benjamin Law and advertising executive turned broadcaster Ben Birchall in this exploration of the return of masculine terminology and the state of the contemporary Australian male psyche.
A good event starts great conversations. Here’s your chance to stay back a while and meet the guest speakers. Nibbles provided. Drinks at bar prices.
Men Overboard
What does it mean to be a man – or a boy – in the 21st century? How far have we come in shedding the macho expectations of the past … and to what extent do we still perform our gender roles on a daily basis? Do we still believe that boys are made of slugs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails, or that real men don’t eat quiche? This insightful series explores masculinity through talk, performance and across the generations.
Featuring
Jennifer Granger
Melbourne-based author Jennifer Granger is a transformational coach and author. Having worked as a corporate insider over a 20-year period, she taps into both her business acumen and spiritual awareness to connect with her clients and help them reach their full potential.
Within her coaching practice, Jennifer works with successful individuals from a wide range of creative, corporate, and entrepreneurial backgrounds who seek deeper meaning in their lives and who wish to overcome blocks that may be keeping them from being fully happy.
Her worldwide client base spans from Sydney, New York, and Los Angeles to Monaco, Singapore, and London, and all kinds of places in between. Feminine Lost is her first book.
Clementine Ford
Clementine Ford is a Melbourne-based writer, speaker and feminist thinker. She is a columnist for Fairfax’s Daily Life and is a regular contributor to the Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Through her twice-weekly columns for Daily Life, Clementine explores issues of gender inequality and pop culture. Fight Like a Girl is her first book.
Her ability to use humour and distilled fury to lay bare ongoing issues affecting women has earned her a huge and loyal readership. Clementine’s work has radically challenged the issues of men’s violence against women, rape culture and gender warfare in Australia, while her comedic take on casual sexism and entertainment has earned her a reputation as an accomplished satirist.
Ben Birchall
Ben Birchall is a writer, broadcaster and creative director who has worked in radio, advertising and digital publishing. He hosted 3RRR FM’s Breakfasters from 2009-2012 and is currently the host of Ingredipedia – a factual food fight podcast that consistently tops the iTunes Australia food charts. His writing has appeared in the Age, Smith Journal and Frankie and his advertising work for clients like NAB, Mars, CUB and the Wheeler Centre has won awards internationally.
Benjamin Law
Benjamin Law is the author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia (2012), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic (2017) and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019). He's also an AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter who created and co-wrote three seasons of the award-winning TV series The Family Law (SBS/Hulu/Comedy Central Asia), wrote the sold-out mainstage play Torch the Place (Melbourne Theatre Company, 2020), and is co-executive producer, co-creator and co-writer on the forthcoming Netflix comedy-drama Wellmania. Every week, Benjamin co-hosts ABC Radio National's weekly national pop culture show Stop Everything! and interviews public figures for Good Weekend magazine (the Age/Sydney Morning Herald). He is a literary scout for Hachette Australia, board member of Story Factory, committee member of the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship and ambassador for Plan Australia, the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Victorian Pride Centre, Bridge for Asylum Seekers and the Pinnacle Foundation.
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