Toxic masculinity is a myth and should stop being used in the continued attempts to demonize masculinity as some sort of abnormal trait and is inherently evil. Masculinity is healthy, displays strength of character, assertive. conducive to productivity, caring and loving.
It's the behavior that is toxic which can also be present with women displaying awful behavior. But it is never described as "toxic femininity".
The 5 men charged and what they are being accused is shameful, awful and criminal behavior that good human beings don't display. It has zero to do with masculinity.
It’s real even if the term is overused or misused.
The very real and fairly persistent (in some areas of life more than others) mindset that leads to stuff like, say, memes with some random tool or part of an engine or something. Something traditionally (often arbitrarily) defined as masculine
Accompanied by words like “if your boyfriend doesn’t know what this is, you have a girlfriend”
That’s a serious mindset many men have and barely a joke for many of them.
Arbitrarily defining certain stuff or activities as masculine or not, then dictating that men should like this, or ridiculing them for not doing that is toxic and definitely a thing, and that’s just one aspect of it.
With women, usually it’s like a girl power thing if she wants to wear a suit instead of a dress, no makeup (confidence), work a traditionally “manly” job etc etc
A woman happening to have the highest paying job in the household is increasingly fine.
While in some parts of the country, a part time working or stay at home dad can still be ridiculed as not manly or “not doing the man’s job in the family”. Man’s gotta know this or that or he’s useless
Belittling men or
especially boys (still trying to figure out who they are) for basically doing their own thing and not fitting the traditional mold, pressuring to be who you want them to be.
imo it’s annoying and often incredibly rude between two adults, but worse between boys or often adult men trying to “mold” boys via abuse or just awful advice
In sports, especially if that sport is treated like gods locally as opposed to something like golf; the stereotypical alpha douche mindset that you gotta act a certain way is real. I’ve literally seen guys questioned behind their back if they’re gay because they weren’t trying to f*** with girls constantly.
It’s exactly the kind of thing that can peer pressure someone into sketchy sexual situations (especially combined with alcohol, which also were not true douche bros if you’re not pounding beers )
