Disclaimer!!! This is entirely my opinion and everyone is entitled to theirs😊.
With the recent lime light given to masculinity online ,what really is masculinity? Why are some people for and some against it ? With the changing times is it really beneficial to carry it into the future or should we repackage it to fit the modern day man and his modern day problems?
Masculinity.Well according to google masculinity is the quality of manliness that is the traits and habits that society considers to be appropriate for a man. Typical traits include strength ,courage,dominance and independence.
Like feminism masculinity is heavily flawed .I think both are extremes .Can’t we be neutral? Anyway that’s a topic for another day . One of the big issues with masculinity is that it views men as two dimensional beings that work the same way ,have the same experiences and perform the same functions. This view is however outdated and puts men in societal cages.
A good example would be in the clothing of men where the norm is a stereotypical suit clad,neat haired leather shoe wearing individual . Such a view suffocates the chance of a man being appreciated for pulling of a non conforming look.
A good example is the actor Ian Nene famously known as Almasi from Machachari he took everyone by surprise with his unique dress code .He’d wear dresses or skirts and when asked he boldly said that dressing was an art and that was his way of expression .
Toxic masculinity . Positive masculinity. Machismo. Fragile masculinity. What’s the meaning of these terms? Let’s have a look .
**Toxic masculinity – a very common phrase but very few know the meaning other than the fact it has the word toxic in it so there is no way it can be something good. Anyway these are norms that can be harmful to men ,women or society overall.
**Positive masculinity -the opposite of toxic masculinity. Forms of masculinity that are desirable .
**Machismo – It’s whereby a man tries to hide his feelings of inferiority by acting superior.
**Fragile masculinity – Anxiety felt by men who feel they are short of standards of being a man.
To read about the types of masculinity visit http://www.inside-man.co.uk/2014/07/03/seven-stages-types-masculinity/
How many times have we heard phrases like “real men don’t cry”,”crying is for the weak gender (female)” ,”real men are strong “,”real men endure pain” ,”men are naturally polygamous”. From a young age masculinity toxic or positive is instilled in them forcefully . It’s partly society’s fault . And what are the effects?
Men suffer in silence or inflict pain as a way to counter theirs . The idea that men should dominate women has led to domestic violence and murder. It’s so sad that people rarely talk about sexual harassment and the increasing suicide rate of men .
“Young men are thrown into a system that demands they compete and undervalues empathy. They are pressured to attain good grades and material success. And for a long time, traditional masculinity has been the only model taught to achieve that success. To compete. To dominate. To shut off their feelings if it helps them win. The media lionises wealth and power. The business world actively rewards ruthlessness. We talk about how wrong it is to exploit and bully others, but these behaviours are fully consistent with society’s vision of success. ” A paragraph from https://blog.usejournal.com/towards-a-positive-masculinity-c43df628f877
To know more about masculinity and what society expects from being a man check # MasculinitySaturday on twitter.
I wrote this piece with the help of the men i live with (my brothers 😂) and some research .Today’s blog is slightly lengthy but i hope you’ve picked a thing or two .
ADIOS💜💜💜💜
Kira's fashion story 