Toxic masculinity–the way of being a man that requires aggression, sexual domination, earning big money, being athletic, and most definitely, being heterosexual–not only feeds rape culture, but is co-dependent upon it. In fact, rape culture and toxic masculinity feed each other while destroying everything they touch. The video below from MTV News provides a quick and…
“The problem with allyship is that good intentions are not enough. Allyship offers a safe haven from harsh realities and the dirty work of creating change. It offers a comfortable distance that can be terribly unproductive.” (Gay, 2016) The World We Live In Philando Castile was murdered in the town I currently call home, just…
As a follow up to All About Love, hooks looks at unique conditions of patriarchal society’s socialization of men, and the effects on male relationships with women, other men, and themselves. hooks explores non-hegemonic masculinities and ways that men can challenge patriarchal assumptions and requirements. This book is fundamental in an exploration of the role…
The phrase “boys will be boys” used to excuse a myriad of behaviors, from the semi-benign: aggressiveness on the playground, competitiveness on the ball field; to the truly atrocious: street harassment (formerly known as cat-calling), to sexual violence and rape. What is interesting about this statement is that it associates the behavior of grown men,…
The Force Awakens, in addition to giving us a well-rounded female lead,* is chock-full of men who display vulnerabilities, empathy, and kindness, and one man who is struggling with living up to the ideals and expectations of toxic masculinity (referred to in the Star Wars universe as: The Dark Side). This article explores the ways…
For all its dominance, and dependence on aggressiveness, competition, and strength–physical and emotional–hegemonic masculinity is incredibly fragile. Those who conform to the strictest tenets of hegemonic masculinity, the toxic elements of sexual conquest and domination, and fail to meet them, are the men more likely to engage in domestic and sexual violence, and who then…
When discussing acts of mass violence, the media often portrays the perpetrator as a loner, outsider, social outcast, or some sort of deviant. When in fact these individuals are merely taking masculine socialization to its next logical step. This article highlights how white male perpetrators of mass violence are in fact conformists to norms of…
Just as the male-as-neutral form of our language invisiblizes numerous demographics of people, the way that language casually infantilizes women perpetuates rape culture and normalizes sexism. To refer to a woman–a female-identifying person over the age of 18–as a “girl,” is not only disrespectful, treating them as a child, removing agency and autonomy, but it…
