White Ribbon is the world’s largest movement of men and boys working to end all forms of gender-based violence, promote gender equity, healthy relationships, and a new vision of masculinity. To engage men and boys in a campaign commemorating their 30th anniversary, White Ribbon wanted to expose our culture’s internalized unhealthy masculinity and create the tools to move past it.

33 million men in North America believe that “strong” men don’t show emotion. Men and boys are still socialized to suppress their feelings, which results in a lack of emotional connectedness to loved ones, the use of violence and control to address difficult emotions, and other negative outcomes.

Research shows that specific attributes of music are capable of evoking strong emotions. So White Ribbon partnered with the Canadian Opera Company, world-renowned composers, and music scientists to create an original score that could help men embrace their emotions.

From early on, boys are conditioned to believe that real men don’t cry as they age, so many need to learn how to reconnect with their emotions. The challenge was to reach men and boys across Canada, and give them tools to understand their own vulnerability in a new, healthier way. We surveyed North Americans to gather data about societal stigmas, and found 33 million men in North America believe that “strong” men don’t show emotion. Third-party research shows that specific music attributes are capable of evoking strong emotions. We used the power of music to launch a conversation about why men are socialized not to be overly emotional. Focusing on the why created a positive tone for the campaign. We provided the tools needed to empower men and boys to make changes within themselves and how they approach their relationships with their partners, friends, and children.

The piece is a blend of art and science, grounded in music psychology, optimized to evoke emotion. It uses a host of techniques and arrangements—suspended tones, tempo changes, as well as well as subtle and sophisticated devices like appoggiaturas—to draw the listener in and guide them through a journey of thought, reflection, and ultimately an emotional reaction.

White Ribbon invited men who struggle to express their emotions to experience the composition in the most moving way possible: on stage inside Canada’s largest, most prominent opera house. The music elicited chills and even tears from the men, helping them realize that showing vulnerability is not a weakness, but a strength.

With a $0 media buy, Uncomposed was launched through White Ribbon’s owned social channels. The campaign sparked a national discussion about masculinity, leading to over 300 stories and impressions totalling over 1 billion. Uncomposed has successfully inspired men and boys to see vulnerability as strength. Since experiencing the composition and hearing about the campaign, many have started working towards reconnecting with the complex feelings that they’ve been socialized to suppress. Months after its launch, Uncomposed continues to serve as a tool to start this process. The film and music are now being used to inspire healthy masculinity in the Canadian military, and in the corporate cultures of Amazon, Adidas, and the WTO. Uncomposed is also being incorporated into school curriculums across Canada to engage the next generation of young men.