From a young age, boys are taught that men must be tough, emotionless and always in control. It’s a trap that limits what men can be and who they wish to become, setting deeply ingrained norms that can damage not only men but the fabric of society.
Toxic masculinity has become deeply embedded in society, reinforced by social media and a return to traditional gender expectations.
Homophobia remains a widespread issue, forcing many to ignore cruelty rather than confront it. Male dancers, for example, are often labeled as feminine, making it difficult for them to express emotions like sadness or fear without having the thought of being labeled as weak or unmanly.
“Male dancers are some of the strongest people I know,” junior Armando Pacheco said. The people who say men are weak or unmanly don’t know how much discipline and dedication it takes to be a dancer. I think that people who say it’s not okay for a man to be weak are some of the more uneducated types of people especially if they say that being a weak man makes them a woman.”
Ina culture where harmful ideas are rarely challenged, toxic masculinity continues to spread, reinforced by generational attitudes and personal biases.
Social media plays an extensive role in both reinforcing and challenging toxic masculinity promoting rigid ideas about how men and women should act.
For example, professional basketball player Jared McCain, known for painting his nails, has faced assumptions about his sexuality from those who view his style as not quite masculine enough.
“I think it’s fine that he paints his nails,” senior football player Edwin Herrera said. “I mean he can still ball out if he’s a good player it doesn’t matter. There’s NFL players that paint their nails and I don’t see a problem with it.”
Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer, became a controversial figure for promoting toxic ideas about gender roles, such as men shouldn’t cry, and should show zero emotions.
“To be blunt I think his opinion is pretty stupid,” senior baseball player Joel Enciso said, “I understand the idea that being a man means being strong but crying doesn’t have to be a sign of weakness, it can be a sign of relief. Everyone goes through things in life. Part of being human is to be sad. I think sometimes the strongest thing someone can do is express how they feel regardless of what others may say about it.”
Toxic masculinity plays a significant role in the perpetuation of violence against women in sports by reinforcing norms and expectations that encourage men to declare dominance, control and even aggression.
“I feel like whether I act tough or not on the field based on your performance it should already bring someone down,” senior football player Marlon Figueroa said. “You can be soft and act tough but personally I like to just be me because I already know that I’m not gonna let people walk all over me. I wouldn’t really care about other people’s perspectives of me.”
Racism and toxic masculinity often intersect to marginalize people of color reinforcing harmful stereotypes about both race and gender.
“The most important thing is to be yourself. You don’t have to be like everybody else. You don’t have to prove your manhood by being loud or aggressive.” former basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said to Parade Magazine in 1977.
Toxic masculinity discourages men from expressing emotions like sadness or fear which can lead to serious mental health issues, including stress, depression and anxiety.
“The first thought that comes to my mind when somebody tells me to just ‘be a man’ is to be quiet,” senior soccer player Ryan Kumar said. “People fight for equal rights between men and women and then proceed to say stuff like ‘why are you crying’ to men. If a girl were to cry it’s normal, but if a man did he’s considered a loser. It’s not like men have different feelings from women. We were born with different physical attributes but all our minds are the same, it’s just about the way your brain develops.”
Encouraging students and athletes to talk openly about emotions and mental health can build emotional awareness and reduce the stigma around vulnerability.
“I try to understand that before I’m a man I am human first,” Enciso said. “I have emotions and I need to deal with them properly. Anger is never gonna help a situation, but processing it will.”
