Boys Will Be Boys

 As a woman in a family full of boys my whole life growing up men’s behavior was excused simply because of the fact that they are men. Because they have testosterone flowing through their body they automatically have an excuse to act a fool of themselves. The phrase “boys will be boys” contributes to aggressive behavior that exhibits and blames the behavior of boys on biological impulses when we should be looking deeper into the causes. Think back through time and try to count how many times you have heard the phrase “he’s just a boy” or “that’s just how boys are.” Throughout school, teachers excused this behavior as a natural phase that boys go through. These terms men live up to have caused toxic masculinity that ranges from emotional avoidance to them relying solely upon themselves. According to National Crime Statistics, 80% of domestic perpetrators are men. Schools are unknowingly setting a stereotype that men feel the pressure to live up to and are excused for most bad behavior. The expectation that women are more commonly held to is being polite, accommodating, and nurturing, when the role men play is described as strong, aggressive, and bold. They are putting men’s mental health on the line by holding expectations not every man can or should live up to. This phrase is not holding men accountable for their actions and without accountability it can cause the collapse of women’s mental and physical health by teaching men to dominate, objectify, and degrade women. I say we put an end to biological stereotyping and end the phrase “boys will be boys.”