The Forced Masculine Mindset By Mo Felton
From the creators behind “Miss Representation,” “The Mask You Live In” by Jennifer Siebel Newsom (2015) focuses on the effects of normative and toxic masculinity on boys and men. Similar to “Miss Representation” (2011), “The Mask You Live In” focuses on the effects of media, social interactions, and environment on masculinity. Dr. James Gilligan, A psychiatrist and educator stated, “whether it’s homicidal violence or suicidal violence, people resort to such desperate behavior only when they are feeling shame and humiliated or feel they would be if they didn’t prove that they were real men” (Newsom, 2015). Similarly in college, men get into fights and arguments over girls, games, sports, etc. to prove they are more of a man than the other. Whoever wins the fight is more masculine because of the belief that strength and anger correlate to being a male. We’ve constructed an idea of masculinity that doesn’t allow men to feel secure in their own masculinity, they have to prove it (Newsom, 2015). Like Pascoe (2007) and Jaramillo (2019), men set the standards for each other; they can’t say “I love you” because their culture doesn’t value caring, empathy, or compassion. Men are forced to mask themselves and feel like they aren’t supposed to get help. Especially in college, when given so many opportunities to involve yourself in spaces that encourage sports, partying, and aggression, men are pressured back into their toxic mindsets.
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