TCU’s Women and Gender Studies Recruitment and Promotion Society hosted a screening and panel discussion the documentary “The Mask You Live In” on Thursday evening to discuss the negative effects of male gender stereotyping in the United States.

The film critiques America’s depiction of masculinity and its harmful effects on men of all ages.

Produced by Maria Shriver, “The Mask You Live In” focuses on real stories of young men experiencing the psychological toll of the media’s representation of masculinity, as well as influences from peers and loved ones.

After the documentary screening, a discussion of the film was lead by a panel composed of four TCU staff members passionate about the growing issue of gender stereotypes.

Amanda Irvin, senior faculty developer for the Koehler Center for Teaching Excellence, is an active member of the Women and Gender Studies Recruitment and Promotion Society. The society brought the documentary to TCU and is responsible for the film’s first screening in North Texas.

“Though the society mainly focuses on women’s studies,” Irvin said, “nationally the idea of masculinity and masculine studies is growing and people are talking about it more, so to sort of add to the male component in our program, we wanted to discuss this issue more.”

Irvin said the film largely connected to American universities’ male population, especially in regards to athletics and fraternities.

“We saw so many moments in the film of fraternity parties and drinking,” said Irvin. “This idea that boys are using drugs and alcohol to medicate their loneliness is a huge issue on college campuses, including our own.”

Students, faculty and staff attending the screening, many of them familiar with the buzz surrounding the documentary.

“I am so happy this movie came to TCU. There is a lot of hostility regarding the concept of masculinity and that’s why men especially need to get out of this rigid mindset,” said Brandon Claridge, a sophomore psychology major.

The discussion centered on personal experience with gender stereotyping, our society’s depictions of males and ideas to further prevent this issue for the younger generation.

The team behind the documentary also worked on the popular documentary film, “Miss Representation,” focusing on female gender roles. Both documentaries are part of The Representation Project, aiming to inspire individuals and communities to challenge and overcome limiting stereotypes.

The Representation Project’s website encourages visitors to take a pledge against society’s representations of gender. The project urges Twitter and Facebook users to use the hashtag “#notbuyingit” to highlight and discourage sexism in the media.