Abstract
Among men, the “bro code” is a cryptic, fraternal contract fed by sexism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Thomas Keith’s The Bro Code: The Fallout of Raising Boys to Objectify and Subordinate Women exposes the inner workings of bro culture by revealing its roots and the consequences of its continuation. Where do boys learn to harass women? Why does the bro code persist? What kind of wakeup call do men need to elicit change amongst themselves? This book explores these questions and more.
The Bro Code addresses the many and varied sources of men’s socialization to become bros. These sources, organized into corresponding chapters, include topics ranging in subject: boyhood, sexual harassment and #metoo, fraternities and college life, media advertising, music, pornography, politics, and religion. Each of these chapters highlights how the relegation of women is central to the bro code. For example, in movies where the woman is cast as an autonomous character, she is written as a threat to men’s masculine power. Avoiding these films dismissed as “chick flicks” robs men of the opportunity to express emotions and applies a shameful label to expressing love. Keith also considers the intersecting ways men demean women. In highlighting the racialized, gendered, and sexual elements of rap music, Keith describes how song lyrics paint women—especially Black women—as unidimensional sexual beings. Throughout the text, Keith writes about what happens at these intersections and the role of the “bro” in relation to them. To this end, The Bro Code speaks not just the problem of white bro culture, but how bro culture exists and affects people of color and the LGBT community, too. Though some sections addressing racism or homophobia appear short, the body of the text presents these topics for further food for thought.
Bro’s privileged positions in society are certainly not without their consequences as the “bro code of silence” suggests. This code of silence can be found just about anywhere in men’s lives but is particularly apparent in sports and military cultures where men keep each other’s secrets. Keith notes how men commonly confide in one another about their sexual misconduct with women via this “unspoken, but tenaciously held male rule” (p. 86). While supposedly protective in nature, the bro code of silence ultimately harms women and in protecting their tough-guy image also affects men’s physical and mental health.
As a text, The Bro Code is a “hybrid” book that is both a didactic tool and a nonfiction narrative rather than an empirical manuscript or textbook (p. vi). The book is organized into ten chapters written to include several pedagogical interventions. At the beginning of chapters, Keith provides an outline of key topics. In the body of the chapters, Keith bolds and italicizes and provides “Thought Box” inserts to promote discussion. Chapters end with “Postscript” summaries for quick review. In classrooms, the book could be assigned in whole or piecemeal as each chapter stands alone.
Keith’s extensive critique of the contemporary (re)production of bros in American culture and the wide variety of topics covered within its pages are some of the many strengths of The Bro Code. For example, in a thread throughout the book, Keith refers to former President Trump as a person who embodies how the bro persona is not limited by age and how the bro is political. In other ways, the book is limited. First, Keith takes up little space suggesting solutions to the problem of bro code. The result is a thought-provoking book that problematizes bros, but without many take-home suggestions to promote change. Second, from a pedagogical perspective, students will not find a glossary for the italicized or bolded items emphasized throughout chapters. Third, The Bro Code is full of journalistic sources from outlets like Vox, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and others. Empirical texts from scholarly outlets scarcely appear. While in many cases news articles are more widely available than peer reviewed journal articles, students may critique The Bro Code for its editorial way of introducing bro culture. Nevertheless, Keith nicely weaves in data from sources like the Centers for Disease control when relevant.
The Bro Code may appeal to scholars and students of gender and sexuality studies, media studies, and the social sciences broadly. Readers of Gender & Society will find the book applies critical commentary to the problems of men’s socialization and useful in developing theories of gender inequality. In sum, Keith’s deconstruction of bro culture and the inequalities it engenders is an excellent teaching tool that will encourage meaningful dialogue.