Toxic Masculinity is a Plague in Society
In the past couple of months, there’s been a rapidly growing audience of young men and teenagers being disillusioned by the newest macho man with a podcast. The latest figure to fill this position is Andrew Tate–a former kickboxer turned social media figure. He has gained attraction for his misogynistic views of women and his “hustler lifestyle.” Yet Tate isn’t the only figure profiting off of making misogynistic and violence-encouraging content. There are hundreds of men that continue to profit off of instilling aggressive and hateful thoughts into young boys’ minds through social media. They represent a larger problem persistent in society: toxic masculinity.
By definition, the term "toxic masculinity" refers to unhealthy and frequently conventional traits or qualities connected with males. This can range from behaviors like suppressing emotions, maintaining a mask of being “hard,” resorting to violence as a sign of power, being egotistical and aggressive, and more. Men are often characterized by these old and baseless stereotypes, which lead to an unhealthy and erroneous picture of what it means to be a male in today's society. Men are always assumed to take an active role in their families, whether that means being the breadwinner, the protector, or the leader.
But the prevalence of toxic masculinity in society can be traced back to what boys have been taught ever since they were young. It can be passed down from generation to generation or taught in social groups. For example, little boys are taught not to cry otherwise they are told that they are “acting like a girl.” Even from a young age, boys are taught that men have to look and act a certain way to be considered a man; men have to have big muscles, be strong, be rich, be powerful, and more. This way of thinking can also be taught through families. When young boys do not have a positive male role model that they can look up to, they can become more violent, more suppressive of their emotions, and more likely to perform worse academically.
Another way boys are taught toxic masculinity is through social groups. Many boys growing up learn toxic masculine behavior, as well as misogyny through the friends that they make. Boys can feel pressured by their friends to act in a certain way or to think in a certain way, leading them to develop certain perceptions and perspectives on what it means to be a man and what that entails. For instance, as a result of social pressures and learned behavior, young boys and teenagers often project sexual fantasies onto their female peers, leading to objectification and misogyny. This is just one example of toxic masculinity that teenage boys can pick up from their friends. Adolescents are more likely to conform to social pressures and influences, thus making them easy targets for developing and learning a more extreme interpretation of what it means to be a man.
Yet social media and the portrayal of males in media is arguably the most effective way toxic masculine ideals spread. Circling back to Andrew Tate, Tate only represents a small fish in the ocean full of male figures spreading detrimental and harmful messages about masculinity and misogyny. On TikTok specifically, many pernicious clips of men like Tate saying vulgar things often gain hundreds of thousands of likes. As an example, a video of Tate saying female rape victims should “bear responsibility” and how women are “men’s property” has gained over 300,000 likes on TikTok. Oftentimes, in addition to misogynistic content, these creators often diminish mental health problems and guide men not to seek help or therapy, calling men “useless” and “weak.” Because teenagers and young men are so impressionable, being exposed to dangerous and inaccurate stereotypes can potentially radicalize boys. In fact, young women have confessed on forum sites about their boyfriends “dramatically” changing their behavior after listening to Tate and other male influencers of the sort. The representation of toxic masculinity in the media needs to be monitored and corrected so that both women and men can be safe and happy.
Continuing on, the characterization of men in society as aggressive and selfish carries many negative impacts for both women and men. The traditional views of masculinity and femininity can create extreme polarization on both sides, one not wanting to embrace the other. When it comes to toxic masculinity, men turn away from vulnerability and compassion, as they believe it to be “too feminine.” Consequently, many men often express this through prejudiced views on LGBTQ+ and women, ignoring their mental problems and trauma, perpetuating violence, and more. This has many negative consequences on both females and males.
Women are impacted by this as they encounter harsh misogyny and objectification as a result of toxic masculinity. Certain men have learned to view women as objects for their sexual desires and fail to view them as much else. Blatant disrespect for women can lead to assault, sexual assault, domestic violence, and more.
But men are affected by toxic masculinity in a much more insidious way. Men who hold extremely traditional views on masculinity are more prone to depression, estrangement from family, and other mental health issues. Britt East, the author of A Gay Man’s Guide to Life says, “masculinity becomes fragile through its rigidity. [...] Whatever the cause, the response is [almost] always a form of violence…Sometimes this violence is outwardly expressed through physical dominance or aggression. Other times it is inwardly expressed, through depression, addiction, or suicide.” Many men aren’t taught to be vulnerable, and as a result of this, men are far more likely to die by suicide than women are. Because of toxic masculinity, men who outwardly express emotions or possess more “feminine” traits are likely to be harassed and teased by their peers and called names, so they resort to things like acting on misogyny and homophobia and ignore their traumas, which leads to more gender-based violence, gun violence, sexual assault, and more.
To mitigate the harmful effects of toxic masculinity, society as a whole needs to understand that there is not a set standard for what masculinity should look like. Everyone is different and one should not need to feel that just because they’re different that it makes them less of a man. There is no need for anyone to prove their masculinity through aggression and violence. But to do this, we as a society need to end the stigma around men’s mental health and encourage men to share both positive and negative emotions so that they’re not bottling it up. Otherwise, the adverse effects of toxic masculinity will continuously persist in society.