Make Men Masculine Again
By The Editorial Board
In the Orwellian society that the Left has us submerged in, masculine men are no longer wanted. In fact, too many on the Left believe masculine men are the issue. Yet, as much as it's studied and hated, masculinity is also principally stereotyped and misunderstood. It's grafted onto an image the far-left can disdain and reject in the pursuit of progressivism and 'equality.' Masculinity to us is not just a man who drives a truck, has a beard, and drinks Coors Light on the weekend; masculinity is about men taking life by the horns. It's about men who put their heads down when the going gets tough, put others before themselves, and take care of their loved ones. Despite the Left's unwillingness to accept it, we need masculinity for our society to thrive. Not only do we need masculine men, but we love them— to any woman feeling distraught at the idea that their potential husband might want to borrow their nail polish, we feel you.
By nature, men instinctively protect and provide for their families. Yet, society has started to see these instincts and characteristics as evils instead of half of the bedrock of our familial foundation. Any strong woman knows that she doesn't need a man's help to live. There are countless successful women with great careers, and there are thousands of incredible single moms who do it all. There isn't a single thing we as women can't accomplish on our own. But that doesn't mean we don't need men. Families are teams; women and men bring different things to the table to make the team work. When the going gets tough, I know that I want a strong man who's shoulder I can cry on, not a man who will cry on my shoulder.
Men who have chosen to break away from the mold of masculinity have redefined what it can mean to be a man. That's great. We live in a free country, and to each their own. We support feminine men's right to dawn nail polish and subvert gender norms in the name of fluidity. That doesn't mean we want to date them, and it doesn't mean that men have to become feminine. While many men have redefined their version of masculinity, some men have chosen to say firmly within their molds. We should celebrate this rather than attacking it. Yet, masculine men are increasingly the target of progressive ire.
Painted on t-shirts and slathered across cardboard signs at the yearly SlutWalk is "Toxic Masculinity." The Left widely regards masculinity as a threat to women's rights and progress. Toxic masculinity is the newest tool used by the Left to destroy the traditional man. According to the Left, the ills of society— rape, drunkenness, domestic violence— are the fault of the traditional masculine man. Nothing is easier for the Left than to blame every issue on the population they so conveniently villainize.
Millennials, Generation Z, and even younger generations of men are increasingly comfortable playing between femininity and masculinity; they might wear nail polish and use eye-shadow pallets. Yet, we've noticed that these choices to dip into femininity are often cast as a rejection of traditional masculinity— rather than an alternative. Men shouldn't have to paint their nails to be seen as non-threatening by feminists. As society has begun to celebrate those who do not conform to gender roles, that doesn't mean we should scrutinize those who do conform. There is nothing wrong with those who choose to forgo masculinity and adopt feminine characteristics. However, problems arise with the narrative that men are inherently bad and dangerous.
With this air of disdain clouded around men, it's no wonder our society is fraught with division. You can't villainize roughly half the population without damaging our social fabric. Men's very presence has been deemed 'threatening' to many feminists today, and wrongfully so. By expecting men to adopt these traits and shape their masculinity into the 21st-century man-meets-femininity, we are disenfranchising a group of men who are merely acting within their nature. While many of my peers might think that Harry Styles’s ability to express his femininity is 'hot,' I see it as a turn-off— and there's nothing wrong with that.
Men who love competition, wear suits, and cannot be drawn away from the big game every Sunday aren't any lesser than a man who might be very 'in touch' with his emotions. So why does our society glorify one and vilify the other? Maybe the fact that masculine men are comfortable with who they are is threatening to those who are less sure. In any case, many women find it attractive when they stumble upon masculine men who want to provide for their families and hang out with the boys on Sundays.
At the end of the day, when someone is threatening you, it's because you are projecting your insecurities onto others. Instead of demonizing an important group living within our society, we should accept them— masculine energy and all! To those who see masculinity as a threat: you might not be as secure as you thought you were. Similarly, if seeing Harry Styles rock a gown on the cover of Vogue deeply angers you to your core, your masculinity might be weaker than you thought it was, too.
So while the Left has decided to villianize masculinity and redefine it in the name of eliminating 'toxic masculinity,' the young women at The Conservateur are here to remind you all that we appreciate masculine men. Real men don't have to have a beer gut or engage in gender fluidity; they have to be good people. Real men care for the people they love, care for themselves, and are true to their values regardless of what someone tells them. We love a masculine man not because he is controlling or demeaning but because he is kind, hardworking, gritty, and accountable. These aren't traits of toxic masculinity— they're traits of men who better our society and of men we hope to one day marry.
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