Member-only story
What Is Toxic Masculinity?
No, it isn’t just a way of saying men are bad.
“Men’s lives are violent because their souls have been violated.”–James Hollis, Under Saturn’s Shadow
In a column I wrote a few years ago, I used the phrase “toxic views of masculinity” to describe one of the many causes of a mass shooting. At least one reader took exception to the phrase and I realized that I hadn’t really defined it.
Academics and activists have begun using the term “toxic masculinity” quite commonly, but I haven’t yet seen a good definition. So, I’ll try to provide one myself.
First of all, let’s say what it is not. No one is saying that all masculinity or that men themselves are toxic or bad. You are free to like the things that men stereotypically like sports, cars, the opposite sex, with no judgment. There is nothing wrong with these things.
When does masculinity become toxic? When it derives from a rejection of the perceived opposite, femininity, that is so pervasive as to become unhealthy for both men and those around them.
Women and children are often victimized by toxic masculinity, through domestic violence and other violence, but men are victimized by it as well. Toxic masculinity stunts their cognitive, intellectual, and…
