Fragile masculinity

{{short description|Anxiety due to a feeling of inadequate masculinity}}

Fragile masculinity is the anxiety among males who feel they do not meet cultural standards of masculinity. Evidence suggests that this concept is necessary to understand their attitudes and behaviors. Research has shown that this anxiety can manifest in various ways, including aggressive behavior, resistance to changing gender norms, and difficulty in expressing vulnerability.

Concept

Psychology research has endorsed the concept of "precarious manhood", in which males face social pressures to publicly demonstrate their manliness.{{Cite journal |last1=DiMuccio |first1=Sarah H. |last2=Knowles |first2=Eric D. |date=August 2020 |title=The political significance of fragile masculinity |journal=Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences |volume=34 |issue=Political Ideologies |pages=25–28 |doi=10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.11.010 |s2cid=208989866 |issn=2352-1546}} Under precarious manhood, threats to masculinity can result in a loss of one's status as a man.{{cite journal |last1=Stanaland |first1=Adam |last2=Gaither |first2=Sarah |last3=Gassman-Pines |first3=Anna |title=When Is Masculinity 'Fragile'? An Expectancy-Discrepancy-Threat Model of Masculine Identity |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Review |volume=27 |issue=4 |date=2023 |issn=1088-8683 |doi=10.1177/10888683221141176 |doi-access=free |pages=359–377 |pmid=36597588}} Unlike femininity, masculinity is thought to be "elusive and tenuous," needing to be proven repeatedly. It is neither inevitable nor permanent; it must be earned "against powerful odds".{{cite journal |last1=Bosson |first1=Jennifer K. |last2=Vandello |first2=Joseph A. |title=Precarious Manhood and Its Links to Action and Aggression |journal=Current Directions in Psychological Science |date=2011 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=82–86 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235412080 |via=ResearchGate |doi=10.1177/0963721411402669 |issn=1467-8721}} As a result, men who have their masculinity challenged may respond in ways that are unpleasant, or even harmful.{{cite news |last1=Kouchaki |first1=Maryam |last2=Leavitt |first2=Keith |last3=Zhu |first3=Luke |last4=Klotz |first4=Anthony C. |title=Research: What Fragile Masculinity Looks Like at Work |journal=Harvard Business Review |date=26 January 2023 |url=https://hbr.org/2023/01/research-what-fragile-masculinity-looks-like-at-work |access-date=24 May 2024}}

Factors

=Race and ethnicity=

Race is a factor in American standards of masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity is denied to men of color, as well as working class white men.{{cite journal |last=Wesley |first=Lauren |title=The Intersection of Race and Gender: Teaching Reformed Gender Ideologies to Black Males in the Context of Hegemonic Masculinity |journal=Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships |volume=1 |issue=4 |date=2015 |issn=2376-7510 |doi=10.1353/bsr.2015.0010 |doi-access=free |pages=63–84}} This has profound implications for the life trajectories and attitudes of African-American men.

Asian American men are frequently unable to be perceived as masculine in American society, and there is growing anger from young Asian-American men that they cannot be made to fit the standard of American masculinity.{{cite journal |last1=Louie |first1=Kam |title=Asian Masculinity Studies in the West: From Minority Status to Soft Power |journal=Asia Pacific Perspectives |publisher=University of San Francisco Center for Asia Pacific Studies |volume=15 |issue=1 |date=Fall 2017 |url=https://repository.usfca.edu/asiapacificperspectives/vol15/iss1/ |format=PDF |pages=4–13 |issn=2167-1699 |quote=Such studies indicate that along with the growing interest in being an Asian man in a Western country, many Asian men have become increasingly unhappy with their minority status. This discontent is not purely academic, and it is even more pronounced in the popular realm. Blogs such as the Reddit forum r/AsianMasculinity or 'Angry Asian Man,' and YouTube videos such as those by Wang Fu Productions show the frustrations and irritation often felt by Asian men living in America. Most are produced by younger men, so themes such as dating, sex and cultural adjustments feature predominantly.}} It is a common complaint among young Asian-American men that they struggle to compete with White American men for Asian women.{{cite journal |last=Tsuda |first=Takeyuki (Gaku) |title=What makes hegemonic masculinity so hegemonic? Japanese American men and masculine aspirations |journal=Identities |volume=29 |issue=5 |date=2022 |issn=1070-289X |doi=10.1080/1070289X.2020.1851005 |pages=671–690}} This anger has led to the formation of online communities for Asian men who are concerned about their reputation, and two such communities on Reddit have been implicated in the online harassment of Asian women who are in interracial relationships with White American men.{{cite web |last=Sirikul |first=Laura |title=Why the Men's Rights Asians subculture is so toxic — and dangerous |website=NBC News |date=28 January 2022 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/reddit-instagram-backlash-highlights-asian-masculinity-movement-s-toxic-rise-ncna1288150 |access-date=24 May 2024}}{{cite book |last=Srinivasan |first=A. |title=The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |location=New York |date=2021 |isbn=978-0-374-72103-9 |at=p. 78, note 37 |quote=The subreddit r/AZNidentity{{emdash}}a 'Pan Asian community ... 'against all forms of anti-Asianism' with tens of thousands of members{{emdash}}is the source of much of this anti-WMAF cyber-bullying}} On the other hand, some Asian-American men have rejected the hegemonic notion of masculinity and embraced their own alternative form of masculinity, which values education and law-abidingness over American notions of masculinity.

=Age=

As young men try to find their place in society,{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Alison |date=29 January 2021 |title=Why younger men's masculinity may be more fragile |url=https://www.futurity.org/masculinity-aggression-2509342-2/ |access-date=25 November 2023 |website=Futurity |language=en-US}} age becomes an important variable in understanding male fragility. Men in the 18–25 age range display riskier and more aggressive behavior.{{cite news |last1=Cronan |first1=Todd |title=Fair Play Blames 'Male Fragility' for High Finance's Evils |url=https://jacobin.com/2023/10/fair-play-male-fragility-high-finance-1-percent |work=Jacobin |date=19 October 2023}}{{better source needed|date=February 2025|reason=WP:JACOBIN: source is primarily opinion commentary}} In some places, younger men have constant threats to their manhood and have to prove their manhood daily. The more the manhood was threatened, the more the aggressiveness.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Alison |date=28 January 2021 |title='Be a Man': Why Some Men Respond Aggressively to Threats to Manhood |url=https://today.duke.edu/2021/01/be-man-why-some-men-respond-aggressively-threats-manhood |access-date=21 November 2023 |website=Duke Today |publisher=Duke University |location=Durham, N.C. |language=en}}

= Parenthood =

Research has found that fathers are less likely to view masculinity as fragile compared to non-fathers. This suggests that the experience of being a father might reinforce a man's masculine identity. However, low self-perceived masculinity after parenthood was a predictor of sexual depression among fathers.{{Cite web |last=Dolan |first=Eric W. |date=4 August 2024 |title=Fathers less likely to see masculinity as fragile, research shows |url=https://www.psypost.org/fathers-less-likely-to-see-masculinity-as-fragile-research-shows/ |access-date=5 August 2024 |website=PsyPost - Psychology News |language=en-US}}

Behavior

When men feel their masculinity has been threatened, they often attempt to regain their sense of authority. The threats may include having a female supervisor or being given a job traditionally viewed as feminine. They may react by engaging in harmful behavior, such as undermining and mistreating colleagues, lying for personal gain, withholding help and stealing company property.{{cite news |last1=Pringle |first1=Eleanor |title=Fragile masculinity at work: 4 experts break down why men may 'lie, cheat and steal' if they feel their manliness is threatened in the workplace and how to fix it |url=https://fortune.com/2023/02/03/fragile-masculinity-at-work-experts-explain-why-and-how-to-fix-it/ |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Fortune |date=3 February 2023 |url-access=limited |language=en}}

Online harassment is a common response from men who are intimidated by displays of strength by women.{{Cite conference |last1=Rubin |first1=Jennifer D. |last2=Blackwell |first2=Lindsay |last3=Conley |first3=Terri D. |title=Fragile Masculinity: Men, Gender, and Online Harassment |date=2020 |book-title=CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: April 25-30, 2020, Honolulu, HI, USA |publication-place=New York |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages= |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341460103 |via=ResearchGate |doi=10.1145/3313831.3376645 |isbn=978-1-4503-6708-0}}{{cite magazine |last1=Wright |first1=Jennifer |title=The Decade of Enduring Male Fragility |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a30324982/rise-of-online-harassment-decade-of-male-fragility/ |access-date=22 February 2025 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |date=27 December 2019}}{{unreliable source?|date=February 2025|reason=source is labeled as opinion}}

A 2012 study, using a racially diverse sample of jail inmates, found that those who scored high on measurements of "fragile masculinity" tended to feel uncomfortable around women.{{Cite journal |title=Who's the Man? Fragile Masculinities, Consumer Masculinities, and the Profiles of Sex Work Clients |date=2012 |journal=Men and Masculinities |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=486–506 |first1=Lauren J. |last1=Joseph |first2=Pamela |last2=Black |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258153604 |format=PDF |via=ResearchGate |doi=10.1177/1097184X12458591 |issn=1552-6828}}

=Health=

A 2014 study found that men who endorsed traditional values of masculinity had worse health outcomes.{{cite journal |last1=Fleming |first1=Paul J. |last2=Lee |first2=Joseph G. L. |last3=Dworkin |first3=Shari L. |title='Real Men Don't': Constructions of Masculinity and Inadvertent Harm in Public Health Interventions |journal=American Journal of Public Health |publisher=American Public Health Association |volume=104 |issue=6 |date=2014 |issn=0090-0036 |doi=10.2105/ajph.2013.301820 |doi-access=free |pages=1029–1035 |pmid=24825202 |pmc=4062033}} Men with traditionally masculine beliefs are more likely to exhibit behaviors such as aggression (when externally challenged) and self-harm under stress (when internally challenged).

Men with strongly held masculine beliefs are half as likely to seek preventative healthcare; they are more likely to smoke, drink heavily and avoid vegetables; men are less likely to seek psychological help.{{cite journal |last1=Pappas |first1=Stephanie |title=APA issues first-ever guidelines for practice with men and boys |journal=Monitor on Psychology |date=2019 |volume=50 |issue=1 |page=34 |url=https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/ce-corner |publisher=American Psychological Association}} A review of recent research found a link between the endorsement of precarious masculinity and poorer health outcomes in men. Although the link was "modest" it nevertheless accounted for some of men's poorer health outcomes, relative to women.{{cite news |author= |title=Where manhood is fragile, men die young |url=https://www.apa.org/pubs/highlights/spotlight/issue-257 |work=APA Journals Article Spotlight |publisher=American Psychological Association |date=March 20, 2023}}

=Sexual relationships=

Women who believed their partner had fragile masculinity (such as in relationships where women earn two times as much money as their partners) were more likely to fake orgasms and were less likely to provide honest sexual communication.{{cite news |type=press release |author= |title=Perceived Fragile Masculinity Stifles Sexual Satisfaction and Honest Communication, Study Finds |url=https://spsp.org/news-center/press-release/perceived-fragile-masculinity-stifles-sexual-satisfaction-and-honest |publisher=Society for Personality and Social Psychology |date=31 January 2022 |location=Washington, D.C. |language=en}} However these authors cautioned against the assumption that either partner is to blame in such cases, pointing out that American standards of masculinity are nearly impossible to meet.

Political beliefs

A link has been shown between male fragility and aggressive political stances, such as climate change denial. This suggests that "fragile masculinity is crucial to fully understanding men's political attitudes and behaviors." The 2024 Trump campaign emphasized restoration of the traditional male role, likely motivating a rightward and conservative shift in young men.{{Cite news |last=Cullen |first=Christian |date=30 October 2024 |title=The Role of Male Fragility in Trump's Political Campaign |url=https://xaviernewswire.com/2024/10/30/the-role-of-male-fragility-in-trumps-political-campaign/ |access-date=8 November 2024 |website=Xavier Newswire |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |language=en-US}}{{better source needed|date=February 2025|reason=source is an op-ed in a student newspaper}}

Proposed solutions

Based on their research, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues have suggested that acknowledgement of fragile masculinity is a crucial first step toward improvement. They point out that many men are not even aware that they feel threatened, and that they are not even aware of toxic behaviors that may result from a threat. Increased self-awareness may allow men to break this pattern. Embracing healthy forms of masculinity was also suggested. Finally, these authors suggested that dismantling toxic workplace structures which encourage harmful masculine attitudes is a vital step in reducing fragile masculinity. According to Stanaland and colleagues, less rigid expectations of what masculinity should be could allow for a more resilient form of masculinity.

Popular culture

The 2016 film Moonlight has been called a "masterclass in masculine fragility." Chiron, according to writer Eli Badillo, embraced his fragility as a path to self-discovery.{{Cite news |last=Badillo |first=Eli |date=February 14, 2023 |title=The Oscar-winning film 'Moonlight': A masterclass in masculine fragility |url=https://shsnews.org/43513/black-history-month/the-oscar-winning-film-moonlight-a-masterclass-in-masculine-fragility/ |access-date=22 November 2023 |website=The Mountaineer |location=Stroudsburg, Pa.}}{{better source needed|date=February 2025|reason=source is a high school student newspaper}}

American actor Timothée Chalamet is known in fashion and media for his hair, jawline, and androgynous looks highlighted as his trademarks.{{Cite web |last=Messina |first=Victoria |date=2020-01-15 |title=An Ode to Timothée Chalamet's Chiseled, Sharp, and Sexy Jawline |url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/timothee-chalamet-jawline-pictures-47111656 |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Popsugar |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-05-02 |title=Why Timothée Chalamet is the perfect heartthrob for 2018 - i-D |url=https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/43ejmn/timothee-chalamet-beautiful-boy-heartthrob |access-date=2025-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502125933/https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/43ejmn/timothee-chalamet-beautiful-boy-heartthrob |archive-date=2 May 2021 }} The New York Times grouped Chalamet into a label it called "noodle boys", noted for their "sinewy" appearance and who served as an "alternative image of white masculinity" in American pop culture.{{Cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Jacob |date=2024-12-15 |title=The Rise of the Noodle Boys |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/15/style/hollywood-men-stars-chalamet-sessa-wolfhard-noodle.html |access-date=2025-03-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Vogue named Chalamet the most influential man in fashion in 2019 and credits him for continuing "to ply the boundary between traditional masculinity and femininity," writing "those fashion choices are all the more impressive considering that Chalamet styles himself."{{Cite web |last=Yotka |first=Steff |date=2019-11-18 |title=Timothée Chalamet Is the Most Influential Man in Fashion |url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/timothee-chalamet-is-the-most-influential-man-in-fashion |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Greenwood |first=Douglas |date=2019-09-21 |title=How Timothée Chalamet Is Ushering In A New Era For Masculinity |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/timothee-chalamet-for-new-era-masculinity |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=British Vogue |language=en-GB}}