Masculinity has been under fire recently as people are growing to realize how "fragile" the concept can be. From the way media portrays masculinity, to the way your dad tells your brother to "man up," masculinity manifests itself in various forms.
If you're unfamiliar with what masculinity entails, the bottom line is: don't show any type of emotion unless it's anger and don't do anything even mildly "gay."
Bonus points for buying a meninist tee-shirt and defending your fellow men from crazy, lesbian, witch feminazis.
At this point you’re either a) smirking and nodding in agreement b) about to click out of this article because it upsets your sense of masculinity or c) ripping off your white v-neck in an uncontrollable rage of testosterone about to punch through your computer screen.
Either way, this article is for you, so hopefully you made it this far.
Popular tweets with the hashtag #MasculinitySoFragile can quickly give you a sense of how the world is setup to protect its concept of masculinity down to mundane and minuscule items, such as shampoo, medicine, and even toiletries (WTF?!).
And I’m not over exaggerating, check out these manly man macho male products:
"Irresistible to girls" shower gel, for when being clean isn’t enough incentive.
“Manflu,” because sickness is only for wimps and homosexuals.
And “Dude Wipes” because being masculine means carrying around your own macho toilet paper free of scents.
Surely you’re convinced that masculinity is so fragile that it needs to be validated 100% of the time, but perhaps you’re still a little skeptical about it having such a strong effect on the men we know. Well, I’ll give you a few questions that will help you reflect on the everyday effects of masculinity and perhaps evaluate your own fragility.
Can you hold a purse without worrying about what people will think?
No I'm not crying... this is just so funny... ha... ha.
Because gay is obviously synonymous with loser. *eye roll*
Who will the white male identify with?! WHO?!
An Instagram comment with a heart eyes emoji?
If you said yes to one or more of these questions you may be suffering from the symptoms of fragile masculinity. You’re easily uncomfortable, and, dare I say, afraid of being perceived as feminine. Either that, or you’re just a blatant misogynist incapable of feeling, living in denial of natural human empathy.
Now before you hold back that one lonely male tear, just know that you’re not the only one. We are in this fight together to end fragile masculinity. You can help the men of the world by letting others embrace regular human, genderless activities like bathing, smelling halfway decent, catching a cold, and most importantly appreciating women for their intellect and not their bra size.
To the men and women of the world, I challenge you to treat masculinity the same way Donald Trump see’s women: laughable and idiotic. Don’t let this social construction get you down. Rise above it! Wear a nice pink button-down while carrying your girlfriend’s purse on the way to the new Nicholas Sparks movie—and don’t let it bother you, because masculinity isn’t a thing unless you make it one.
