Body distortions and stereotypes

I am going to answer question #2 about whether boys and young men are given the same messages as young women and girls, and whether they are sexualized the way girls are. Having three sons of my own I think the messages are not quite as blatant for boys but they are out there. Boys and young men are given the message they are to always be strong, masculine, never cry, never show emotion and never show a softer side of themselves. And girls are taught not to like or respect boys/men that do have a softer side.
Boys are stereotyped into being that more macho, more masculine self. Do the body-building so you can always defend yourself. Don't show an emotional side of yourself because that makes you weak. In society's eyes weakness/emotion equals femininity. They do get categorized into a certain group if they dress a certain way, act a certain way or behave differently then the expectation for them. My boys have never bought into that theory that strength equals masculinity. They are all 3 "all boy" in what they wear, what they play with and what they like to do. I don't know if the fact that my sons all liked to play "cars and trucks" and Legos was a result of media influence or upbringing. They never showed an interest in things of a different nature so it never really came up.
The distorted images and the stereotyping is out there. The media tells them to be tough. Images they see show them how they should dress. Peers show them how they behave. As with anything else, we need to put all those things they are exposed to into perspective for them. Show them it is ok to dress a little differently, act differently then this or that person. That they can be who they are while still being an important and valued member of society.