Tag Archives: masculinity

British PSA About Male Rape Proves It’s Hard To Please Everybody

Jessica WakemanFebruary 10, 2012 //
Date Rape PSA
date rape poster
This date rape PSA has been accused of blaming the victim. Read More »
Dating Good Guys
boyfriend photo
Not every woman wants to date an a-hole. Read More »
Depressed Men
stress ball photo
Threats to masculinity lead to depressed men. Read More »
Real Men Get Raped PSA

The issues of male rape and sexual abuse get plenty of sensationalistic air time on “Law & Order: SVU,” but not so much substantive awareness in our day-to-day lives. While it is true that reported sexual abuse of girls and women is far more prevalent than male abuse, I also assume acknowledging or discussing male sexual abuse brings up uncomfortable feelings amongst guys about masculinity and what it means to be a “strong man.” There’s even vicious stereotypes that dog gay guys — who are routinely denigrated as being “not manly enough” — that they must have been sexually abused as kids. In a way, that’s kind of all you need to know about what some (perhaps many) people think of male sexual abuse survivors. 

So it makes sense then, from a messaging standpoint, that to reach male victims of sexual abuse, the UK group Survivors UK would address “masculinity” head-on. Their new campaign, which launches this week in time for a rugby tournament in London, features a rugby ball (speared by a nail, I think?) and the slogan: “Real men get raped: and talking about it takes real strength.” Keep reading »

20 Things I Love About Men

Neely SteinbergJanuary 2, 2012 //
Guys To Date
Here are 18 guys you should give a shot in 2012. Read More »
Bad For Men
The 10 worst things to happen to dudes this millennium. Read More »
Resolutions For Men
We have some suggestions... Read More »

This is a list of things that I love about men. Pure and simple. No talk of feminism or slut shaming or gender depictions in the media or rape culture here—just an unadulterated tribute to men, a panegyric, a compilation of reasons to be thankful for the male species, in ways both big and small, superficial and profound, personal and professional. They are in no particular order, the creation of my stream of consciousness. I could have gone on for hours, but it’s my hope that you, readers, will add to this list, to show that we appreciate and adore men and what they bring to our lives and the world. (We can return to the heavier debates tomorrow.) For now, let’s have a Kumbaya moment. Leave your reasons in the comments section, and let’s see what we can come up with together! Keep reading »

Buffalo High School Football Coach Pat Lynch Resigns Over “Hurt Feelings Report”

Jessica WakemanNovember 14, 2011 //
What Not To Say
football player photo
10 things not to say to a guy watching football. Read More »
How To Watch Football
mind of man photo
John DeVore explains how to enjoy the most American of sports. Read More »
Depressed Men
stress ball photo
Threats to masculinity lead to depressed men. Read More »
hurt feelings report

Pat Lynch, the head football coach of Buffalo High School in Wyoming, resigned recently after handing out homophobic and sexist “hurt feelings reports” to players asking them if they were a “pussy,” “a queer,” “a little bitch,” have “woman like hormones” (sic) and a litany of other puerile options. The report reads:

“We, as a company, take hurt feelings very seriously. If you don’t have a mommy that can give you a hug and make it all better, please let your supervisor know and we can provide you with a surrogate. If you need them, diapers, midol (sic) and a ‘blanky’ can also be supplied.”

At the very bottom of the report are three places for signatures which read “Name little sissy filing report,” “Girly-man signature,” and “real-man (sic) signature (person being accused).”

Keep reading »

Why Are The Best Shows On TV About Dudes?

Jennifer WrightOctober 12, 2011 //
Dr. Pepper's "Manly" Soda
dr pepper ten photo
Dr. Pepper Ten says it's "not for women." Read More »
On "Man Caves"
caveman photo
Why are we told men need "man caves" to be happy? Read More »
"Mad Men" Q&A
Bryan Batt photo
An interview with actor Bryan Batt, who plays Sal Romano. Read More »
Breaking Bad photo

There’s an interesting essay Chuck Klosterman wrote (it’s really very good, read the whole thing here) where he postulates:

There doesn’t seem to be much debate over what have been the four best television shows of the past 10 years. It seems like an easy question to answer, particularly since it’s become increasingly difficult to write about the state of TV (or even the state of popular culture) without tangentially mentioning one of the following four programs — “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Mad Men,” and/or “Breaking Bad.”

And that’s not just a Chuck Klosterman opinion. A commenter on a Vulture Recap of Breaking Bad remarks:

“This past season ‘Breaking Bad’ passed ‘The Sopranos’ as the best show ever on television (followed by ‘Deadwood’ and ‘Mad Men’).”

Well, if you say so. Keep reading »

Andrej Pejic’s Man Boobs Brew Up Controversy

Julie GersteinMay 17, 2011 //

Look at this cover of Dossier magazine. Notice anything especially spicy or scintillating? Well apparently Barnes & Noble did. Enough so that they censored the cover, featuring androgynous male model Andrej Pejic, in their stores. While men’s magazines routinely feature naked male torsos on their covers, we suspect it was the confusing–confusing to Barnes & Noble anyway — juxtaposition of Pejic’s hyperfeminine face with his masculine chest that bewildered. Still, it calls into question just what makes a body feminine or masculine to begin with; if Pejic’s angelic facial figures cross the line for Barnes & Noble, and make his body verboten, then maybe we’ve been looking at the wrong body parts all along? [Fashionista] Keep reading »

Guy Talk: Ladies, We’d Prefer You Didn’t Fake It

Hugo SchwyzerMarch 24, 2011 //

I read a blog post earlier this month that sounded a familiar refrain: Are single women too independent for their own good? Women’s magazines ask that question, men’s magazines ask that question, and the answer is almost always the same: yes. Keep reading »

Guy Talk: How Men’s Rights Activists Get Feminism Wrong

Hugo SchwyzerMarch 10, 2011 //

When I was getting clean and sober in a Twelve Step program many years ago, there was one phrase from the literature that always resonated with me. We addicts have been, the book said, the “architects of our own adversity.” Yes, I thought the first time I read that. It’s time to stop blaming others for my own pain. It’s time to take responsibility.

That same phrase comes to mind when I think about Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs). I’ve been crossing verbal swords with the MRAs for many years, particularly since 2004 when I began to develop a public presence as a male feminist writer and professor. I learned quickly that not all MRAs were the same; some offered thoughtful criticism while others offered only nasty invective. (Look up “Hugo Schwyzer Mangina” if you need evidence of the latter.) Keep reading »

Poll: Do You See Men Who Don’t Eat Meat As Less Manly?

Jessica WakemanFebruary 2, 2011 //

Do You See Men Who Don't Eat Meat As Less Manly?

  • View Results

Mind Of Man: Why Can’t Men Have Teddy Bears?

John DeVoreAugust 25, 2010 //

A recent study by British hotel chain Travelodge has found that 25 percent of men take teddy bears on the road with them when they travel for business. These men report that their stuffed animals remind them of home and the significant others they have to leave behind. This is a shocking survey to many who believe that grown men shouldn’t tote around stuffed animals, as it betrays certain masculine gender rules. For one, men snuggle as a means to an end. Men snuggle in order to procure sex, or as payment for services rendered. Men are also encouraged to put away childish things more than women or, at least, their toys aren’t supposed to look like toys. Women are rewarded for holding on to the virginal innocence of youth, which comes in handy when raising a child. This is all a crap sundae, of course. Two scoops of crap topped with a crap cherry. Keep reading »

Skinny Jeans Are The Downfall Of The American Man, Says Lady Who Needs A Hug

Jessica WakemanAugust 24, 2010 //

Sometimes I like to write in a dry style. When I do this, it’s amusing to read comments by commenters who don’t understand that I’m being sarcastic. So I hoped this op-ed which popped up in my Google alerts, “Skinny Jeans, John Wayne, And The Feminization Of America,” was also being very dry. But in fact this author, Jane Gilvary, is quite serious that men in skinny jeans are the downfall of America. How about this gem?

“… real men don’t wear skinny jeans. Real men also don’t wear V-neck tees, or accessorized scarves, and they avoid purple and pink like the plague. The mere idea of a pedicure or waxing makes a real man nauseous. If a woman hangs out with this kind of girly-man routinely, it’s only because she wants to share his wardrobe and his non-fat caramel macchiato.”

Well, menswear-as-womenswear is hot right now. Keep reading »

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