I will review symmetric mass generation (SMG), whereby fermions are gapped while preserving a chiral but necessarily non-anomalous symmetry. A simple model of SMG will be described, which leverages strongly-coupled gauge dynamics. I will then use bosonisation and dualities to derive the phase diagrams of a series of 2d Abelian gauge theories, including the 2d SMG model, in doing show establishing its validity. I will finally comment on the application of such constructions to symmetry-preserving boundary conditions and fermion-monopole scattering in 4d gauge theory.