Students in Downtown High School's Acting for Critical Transformation's Project spent a semester studying the history and contemporary setting of gender norms. Man Up, it's Not Ladylike! contains short stories and plays on topics like fitting in, being a woman in STEM, toxic masculinity, and being yourself.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the publisher: “During the spring semester of 2023, students at Downtown Continuation High School's took an extensive look at gender, its dynamic history, its impacts, and the dangers associated with gender norms. These pages challenge all of us to examine our own beliefs and biases with the ultimate goal of empowering differences among gender identity and expression.”