toxic masculinity

Just how fragile is masculinity?

Tony Thompson12 Comments

When you lie on the beach

‘neath the warm summer sky,

do you only wear sunscreen

that’s made for a guy?

When the smell of your home

is like a rancid trash can,

will the scented candles you buy

be made just for a man?

 

When you finish your meal

and you’re craving sweet food,

will you only eat chocolate

that’s made for a dude?

 

 

When cleaning your ears

do you without fail,

refuse to buy Q-tips

not made for a male?

 

 

When the drip from your nose

never seems spent,

will you only buy tissue

made for a gent?

 

 

When playing a game

(no, this isn’t a joke),

do you fret and you whine

cuz you can’t play a bloke?

 

If you answered yes to any of the above rhyming questions (of my creation), then congrats, your masculinity may be fragile. The above Tweets are part of the #MasculinitySoFragile hashtag, which originated as a way for feminists and their allies to mock and criticize the toxic attitudes and beliefs our society associates with masculinity. From beliefs about the type of alcoholic beverages a “real man” drinks, to the type of careers men are supposed to lean towards, to the perception that displays of affection between men are “unmanly”, to discriminatory and marginalizing views about LGBT people, #MasculinitySoFragile is part of an ongoing effort to criticize rigid and ultimately destructive ideas of how masculinity is defined. To the surprise of few, the hashtag evoked outrage from men who crawled out of the woodwork to complain that it was an attack on men in general, rather than a criticism of toxic masculinity. Amusingly, many of those who claimed the hashtag was demeaning towards men proved through their responses that masculinity really is a fragile concept. The frailty of masculinity was demonstrated once again in the responses to a recent mockumentary-No Men Beyond This Point. 

Continue reading “Just how fragile is masculinity?” →

Just how fragile is masculinity?
{advertisement}