Since The Line was launched, we’ve delivered a bunch of initiatives in response to research we’ve done into what young Australians need info about when it comes to sex, dating and relationships.
Over the years, you’ve said you were unsure what it means to be a man, or what a man is, so we answered those questions.
Another time, there was so much to cover that we just answered pretty much any question you could think of.
We’ve also spoken about what it means to cross the line, and we’ve explored relationship boundaries.
You can revisit all of this here, or, if you still need those answers, you can find them here too.
Comfort Zone (Exploring Relationship Boundaries)
Healthy relationships start with healthy boundaries, so that’s why we ran Comfort Zone.
Relationship boundaries help define what makes you feel safe, respected and valued in a relationship.
They’re about respect, not control, and they really do show you care.
Heaps of you told us they were a little confusing, so we jumped in to guide you through it across TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, Reddit, and a few other places.
Actors Bryn Chapman Parish and Sherry-Lee Watson, Adelaide Crows AFL stars Josh Rachele and Jake Soligo, and TikTok power couple Taz and Alessia helped play the Comfort Zone board game to explore the boundaries in their relationships.
We also headed out to the streets across Australia, asking everyday people how comfortable or uncomfortable they were with stuff like:
- Physical intimacy and PDA
- Meeting up with a new person irl
And plenty of other topics.
Asking For A Mate (Seasons 1 and 2)
It’s funny how many sex, dating, or relationship questions go unanswered.
But it’s not really much of a surprise when a lot of the time we just don’t feel comfortable asking them.
We’re talking about questions like:
- How do you make consent sexy?
- What does love look like?
- What do you wish you knew before you has sex for the first time?
- How do I know if they like me?
- How is porn sex different from real sex?
- Has anybody ever made you feel like you’re not manly enough?
- Have you ever been ghosted? Or ghosted somebody?
- How do you move on after a break up?
And so many more. You can watch season 2 on YouTube through this link.
If you want to dig through the archives for even more questions, season one is over there too!
Never Follow
There’s no one way to be a man.
It’s all too easy to copy the not-so-great stuff we see around us.
But we all have the choice to never follow and to remember that there is no one way to be a man.
So, we got some role models, including AFL stars Zach Merrett and Jarman Impey, musician Ziggy Ramo, and Australian soccer player Thomas Deng to help lead the way.
'People will celebrate you for being you,' Zach Merrett, Essendon AFL captain.
Respect. It’s the GOAT.
Unfortunately, disrespect can be pretty common.
From a comment on TikTok to somebody catcalling a woman on the street, it still happens far too regularly.
Alongside TikTok AU/NZ we helped offer you some ways to address that disrespect when you witness it.
Why? Because a whole bunch of young men told us they wanted to call it out but weren’t too sure how to do it.
The campaign was called Respect. It’s the GOAT. (and yeah, there was a real goat involved).
We got support from Australian Olympic Diver Sam Fricker, Comedian Lachlan Fairbairn, Olympic Surfer Jack Robinson, Fitness creator Louis Phillips, Sports Creator Jarra Davis and Australia’s king of burgers Ali (Chebbo) Chebbani to explain why respect is so important.
And we put out a series of videos that offered help to people who want to call out disrespect using 3 different techniques:
Speak up to disrespect
Say something like ‘What do you mean by that?’, ‘I don’t get why that’s funny,’ or even, ‘Nah, cmon, you’re better than that’.
If it’s online, drop a comment like, ‘Nah, that’s not it’, ‘Not funny’, ‘Okay troll’, ‘Womp womp’, or even a simple 👎🏻
Show it’s not okay
Use your body language to make it clear you’re not down with their disrespect, like rolling your eyes or shaking your head.
If it’s online, leave the conversation, chat, stream or live.
Or just, you know, don’t laugh.
Support those around you
Sometimes the best thing you can do is make sure the person it happened to has support.
Check in and ask if they’re okay, acknowledge what happened to them and that you didn’t support it, and even back up mates who are calling it out.
Keep an eye out for what The Line does next by following us on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook.