Activity Three (Tent Three): In-the-Box/Out-of-the-Box

Activity Three - In-the-Box/Out-of-the-Box

Participants will go through magazines or collections of pictures to identify “in-the-box” and “out-of-the-box” images. “In-the-box” is a metaphor for rigid messages that limit our free expression to just be ourselves. The pictures are then pasted in either the “in-the-box” or the “out-of-the-box” category to reflect such qualities as they learn to recognize the limitations of these messages. The group discovers that toys often give us early messages about what girls and boys should “do.” The activity encourages the group to play with whatever they want to play with and to “be” themselves with less gender rigidity.

  • Power-Point Presentation: This is an optional visual aid facilitators can use to present the activity using Microsoft Office Power Point.
  • Printer Friendly Version: This is a printable version of this page as well as the stories and pictures that go along with the activity.
  • Follow-Up Activity: This can be given as homework or used in class as a supplement to this activity.
  • Pictures: These are some images you can show to your students to illustrate ideas.

  Key points to integrate throughout the activity

  • During Activity Two (Prize Sorting), we introduced the idea about being “in-the-box”. This activity demonstrates the meaning of “in-the-box” and “out-of-the-box”. Imagine you were living inside a box. You would be cramped, with little room in which to move around. Sometimes messages from society limit us in this same way in terms of who we are and what we can do based on gender and race. Making us believe we are confined to certain ways of living is a lot like it would be living in a box.
  • What does it mean to be “in-the-box”?
  • Boys think they have to “act like a man” by being aggressive, tough, muscular, overly independent, and afraid to express their feelings.
  • Girls think they have to “be a lady” by being passive, weak, extremely thin and beautiful, overly dependent and afraid to express their intelligence.
  • What does it mean to be “out-of-the-box”? Both boys and girls are:
  • assertive as well as passive,
  • strong and sensitive,
  • capable of being nurturing in relationships while being serious about their schoolwork, careers and activities,
  • able to express their thoughts and feelings
  • satisfied with their healthy bodies just the way they are
  • Boys and girls should be free to be themselves, while knowing who they are and where they belong. It is okay to do in-the-box things, as long as you feel empowered to explore yourself out-of-the-box.
  • Some people have trouble coming out of the box. They often get called names and are less likely to be accepted. Society puts them in a position where they can’t come out-of-the-box because of an uneven distribution of resources, prejudices, and fear.

  Supplies

  • Chalkboard, white board, or flip chart sized paper
  • Laminated pictures of out-of-the-box images, or pasted or printed images on card stack
  • One medium-sized cardboard box for every 4-5 students
  • Enough magazines so that each participant has one
  • Scissors and glue/tape

  Instructions

  1. Start a discussion by giving students specific examples of what we mean by limiting messages from the media. Refer back to Activity 2, when students were asked what it feels like to be fit into a very small box.
  2. Draw two boxes on the board. Ask the students to help you fill in the first box with several characteristics, interests, and behaviors that society prescribes as the values of being a boy. Then, do the same for girls in the second box.
  3. Once the descriptions in the boxes are finished, ask the children to describe what happens when boys and girls do things that are outside the gender box. For instance, girls and boys get called names (e.g., sissy, wuss, mama’s boy, bossy, tomboy, mean).
  4. Show the participants laminated pictures of in-the-box and out-of-the-box images and ask them what they see. The purpose of this is to replace the ideas that girls and boys need to act in-the-box to display valuable qualities. Showing them out-of-the-box images will encourage them to become more comfortable to come out of their gendered boxes. Tell everyone to choose from a variety of characteristics, try them on, and celebrate what fits!
  5. After you have discussed and everyone understands the in-the-box/out-of-the-box metaphor, divide them into groups of four or five and give each group a flattened cardboard box. Also, give each student a magazine, along with scissors and glue.
  6. Ask all the students to find an in-the-box picture in the magazine they have and cut it out. After a few students have found an in-the-box picture, ask one of them to stand up and describe it to the rest of the participants. Then give everyone 5-10 minutes to find three in-the-box images, cut them out and paste them on the inside of the boxes.
  7. After 5-10 minutes have passed, ask the students to find an out-of-the-box picture in the magazine they have and cut it out. After a few students have found an out-of-the-box picture, ask one of them to stand up and describe it to the rest of the participants. Then give everyone 5-10 minutes to find three out-of-the-box images and paste them to the outside of the boxes.
  8. Once all the pictures are pasted on the boxes, guide the students to close their boxes so that all the in-the-box images make up the inside of the box, and the out-of-the-box images make up the outside of the box. (You may use tape or staples to keep the boxes in form.)
  9. When the boxes are reconstructed, have each group share pictures, either outside or inside the box, and tell the rest of the participants about what messages the pictures give to girls or boys. Talk about how these messages are helpful and unhelpful as they are portrayed in the media.
  10. Encourage youth to recognize and choose images that give out-of-the-box messages. It’s okay to be who they are and to encourage others to be who they are, too!