EDITORIAL

Breaking Down Toxic Masculinity: Roots, Impacts, and Ending the Cycle

Introduced during the early years of childhood, phrases such as “Real Men Don’t Cry” and “Boys Will Be Boys,” encourage men to glorify violence and aggression. These pervasive sentiments further stigmatize the cliches of femininity, which include having empathy, showing emotions, being subservient and, in turn, inferior to males. Not only is toxic masculinity harmful to men, but to everyone. Common toxic beliefs of manhood include suppressing emotions, embodying physical toughness, and being dominant over women - perpetuating problematic notions of what is “normal.” The topic of toxic masculinity has become increasingly prevalent amidst discussions of men, gender, and the feminist movement, making it something many of us experience in everyday life.. 

Using a 13-question multiple choice survey we created, 32 people were surveyed on their views on toxic masculinity. The results were analyzed in terms of whether or not gender and sexuality affect views on toxic masculinity. 

Men's rights activists are commonly associated with toxic masculinity. One respondent added, “Men's rights activists simply attack feminists and try to undermine the work they have done to fight for gender equality.” Men’s rights activism is a branch of the men’s movement that believe men have a systematic disadvantage as compared to women and claim that men are oppressed by gender norms and feminism. This undermines the message of feminism -rather than addressing the issues men face from patriarchy, men’s rights activists use their platform to derogatorily speak about feminism and place the blame on women. When men’s rights activists bring up the issues men face, it has more to do with dismissing feminism with the common phrase, “men go through this too,” than identifying progressive steps to solve these issues. Instead of recognizing that it is possible for men and women to face the same problems and that both are worth addressing, phrases like “men go through this too” shuts down any conversation about women’s issues.

What is masculinity and when does it become toxic? Some respondents argued that masculinity is defined as fitting society's ideas of what it means to be a man, which for the most part includes characteristics that are traditionally embodied by males such as physical strength. Masculinity and what society believes to be its defining characteristics are not inherently toxic, but they become so when men believe their masculine qualities make them superior to women, and use that as a reason to oppress them. Masculinity also becomes toxic when it perpetuates heteronormativity. Because heterosexuality has been the dominant sexuality for the majority of history, masculinity has become associated with it. In fact, a study conducted by The National Library of Medicine, has shown a link between toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia due to gender norms. The idea of masculinity being connected to heterosexuality is harmful to homosexual males, as it can be used to force them to conform to society's heteronormative expectations of masculinity. 

When thinking about how toxic masculinity manifests itself, it is important to recognize certain societal norms for masculinity need to be reevaluated or eliminated altogether. These beliefs can hurt future generations by creating cultural norms that are unrealistic and harmful. By not being encouraged to nurture and be vulnerable with their emotions, the toxic standards of masculinity limit men, and harm women. The Pan-American Health Organization reported that men are less likely to reach out for help, which can take a toll on their mental health leading to higher rates of depression, suicides, and addictions, and this is related to socially constructed toxic masculinity norms. By disregarding gender role stereotypes and gender biases, we can try to unlearn preconceived ideas about the roles, abilities, and characteristics of males and females that further perpetuate toxic masculinity. Recognizing instances of toxic masculinity, educating children, and helping others unlearn the deeply ingrained notions of societal gender norms is the best way to end the cycle of toxic masculinity. There are better ways to have these conversations without having to undermine the feminist movement; instead, we must uplift each other.

Of those surveyed, 62.5% of respondents were female, 31.2% male, 3.1% transgender male, and 3.1% identified as other. 31.2% were heterosexual females, 15.6% heterosexual males, 3.1% lesbian, 3.1% other, 12.5% unlabeled, 18.8% bisexual females, 9.4% bisexual males, and 6.2% gay. Concerning gender and sexuality, the responses varied; as a whole, the results suggest that gender and sexuality does not necessarily affect their responses. Of those surveyed, 96.9% said toxic masculinity is real, and 3.1% said it is not. Those surveyed were asked if males are stronger than females. They were asked to rate their responses from strongly agree to strongly disagree. 6.2% said strongly agree, 15.6% said agree, 25% said neutral, 25% said disagree, 28.1% said strongly disagree.