| | Over time, “toxic masculinity” has come to encompass everything from man-spreading and the peculiar appeal of Hooter’s chicken wings to mass shootings and sexual assault. But experts are increasingly dismissive of the idea that masculinity is toxic; rather, they believe toxic behaviors are a reaction to perceived threats to the masculinity of a subset of men with poor self-esteem. Put a different way, the real issue is the creeping suspicion that masculinity can be taken away, and the actions this suspicion triggers.
So, with masculinity being so precarious, how do you keep yourself from falling into toxic behaviors? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you keep your son from it? What it comes down to is crafting a more positive version of masculinity with the traits you want to see. If masculinity is a construct that needs to be reinforced for some men over and over again, make it bear repeating. |
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