Crescent Blogs

In the 1890 landmark textbook, The Principles of Psychology, philosopher and founding father of modern psychology, William James, made a bold claim. He stated, “In most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again.” At last week’s closing ceremonies, I took immense pride in our boys' impressive character display. However, as a school dedicated to this mission, we know that the journey toward character is a lifelong pursuit. 

A high school graduation is an important event for anyone, but today means far more than that to the 103 gentlemen seated in front of you all. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. The beginning of the education that leads us to our professional careers, our independence and, as I’m sure my dad is hoping, the beginning of paying our own cell phone bills.

Any boy who has played with a Batman or Spiderman action figure has been exposed to a toy of a male hero who possesses a hyper-muscular physique. In fact, if these toy’s dimensions were to scale, Batman’s biceps would be the same size as his waist. It is this type of unrealistic notion of the male body that garners admiration and respect from others, argues Dr. Roberto Olivardia, and has led many boys to develop an unhealthy obsession with the muscularity of their body and, ultimately, a harmful body image.