When I was growing up in the 1970s, society was definitely beginning to change, but there were still plenty of men that knew how to be men. In those days, if men wanted to be masculine that was okay. And if women wanted to be feminine, that was okay too. But now everything has completely changed. Any effort to promote traditional gender roles is frowned upon, and masculinity in particular is under attack. In our society, “male” has become a label with highly negative connotations, and if you exhibit masculine traits you are considered to be part of the problem. Sadly, these negative messages about masculinity are constantly reinforced by the countless hours that Americans spend watching television and movies each year. (Read More...)
Toxic Masculinity
Now That They Have Deeply Insulted All Men With Their “Toxic Masculinity” Ad, Let’s Respond By Boycotting Gillette
Does Gillette really think that they are going to sell more razors to men after millions of men watch their horrific new ad that is essentially an all-out assault on masculinity? The new ad is entitled “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be”, and within the first few seconds the term “toxic masculinity” is used. This is a deeply, deeply offensive term, and it has no place in our society. After all, could you imagine the uproar that would ensue if a large corporation dared to use the term “toxic femininity” in an advertisement? Women would be freaking out from coast to coast, and for good reason. There would simply be no excuse for using the term “toxic femininity”, and there is simply no excuse for using the term “toxic masculinity”. Gillette owes every man in America an apology, and they better make it a good one. (Read More...)
The American Psychological Association Issues New Guidelines That Say “Traditional Masculinity Can Hurt Boys”
Should we be teaching young boys to reject traditional masculinity? According to the American Psychological Association, that is precisely what we should be doing. In this day and age, “traditional masculinity” has been renamed “toxic masculinity”, and an all-out attempt is being made to eradicate traditional forms of male behavior from our society. We see this happening in our classrooms, we see this happening in popular culture, and lately this new agenda is being constantly pushed by the mainstream media. For example, the New York Times just published a piece about the new guidelines for men that the American Psychological Association recently issued. Their article was entitled “Traditional Masculinity Can Hurt Boys, Say New A.P.A. Guidelines”, and it suggests that we need to totally redefine what it means “to be a man”… (Read More...)