Toxic masculinity has been one of the most infamous epidemics that has ever plagued society. It stems from the original gender roles of the men being the primary breadwinner, strong and authoritative. While women, on the other hand, were expected to listen and serve the men as their role in society. As time went on, society grew as a whole and these roles slowly vanished but not completely.
Even though I am only a senior in high school, I have both witnessed and experienced toxic masculinity within my peers and society. One of the many problems within society is the common belief such as men don’t cry. This concept has reached many young men which has affected their ability to properly express themselves. Boys were encouraged to “man up” whenever they expressed sadness or fear, as if these emotions were basically weak.
There are men like the infamous Andrew Tate, who’s known for his widespread content that many people find to be openly misogynistic and rooted in those outdated gender roles. Toxic masculinity also fills the relationships between men and other men. It shows in locker room talk, street harassment and even within the power dynamic that they share with women. This dynamic makes men feel entitled to dismiss the voices of women. The idea that men must be dominant in all aspects of life not only stifles their own growth but perpetuates inequality and fuels discrimination.
It often relies on making others feel small to bolster a false sense of superiority. I have been in plenty situations where male students felt like they were superior to me. I have also been put in situations where the ego of a male student was higher than anything I have ever seen. It made me feel like I was less of a person because of the treatment I had received. I made me feel useless, like I had nothing, but anger stored inside.
I have also witnessed where a male student treated a female student like she was useless, or like she was nothing. He told her that she was the worst person he ever worked with and that she was worthless to her face, and it made me feel some kind of way. She did not deserve that kind of treatment from that student. She was trying her very best in the current situation. Once it was done, I went over to her and made sure that she was ok. I told her that she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment and to not listen to what he said. Whenever I see a female being treated that way by a male, I always make sure to say to something to him and make sure she is ok in the end.
I think that this kind of behavior is not learned but taught by someone else in their life like Tate, their father or someone else they look up to. If a man is raised correctly to treat women with respect in every way possible, they wouldn’t grow up to have such a high ego. Women deserve much better treatment after all we have been through throughout history.
