Masculinity is something ive seen up for debate a lot recently. So I just want to give my two cents on what it means to be masculine. So I'll start with something that is constantly percieved as "masculine".

The term father figure, is used to describe the big, manly, smart guy that raises their kids. But there's no reason that a woman can't fill the same role of "father figure" and the reason that most people dont believe that is because they've been raised to believe in the idea of a father figure or a mother figure, when in reality there is no predetermined way to decide wether a man has to be big and smart and wise, or vice versa with a woman. Its all societal influence that may not seem that prevelant, when in reality it shapes the very fundamental way we perceive masculinity, femininity, etc.

In other words, a man can act like a man, or a woman, it doesnt matter. Or the other way around, woman acting like a man. What matters is that theyre good people. Being masculine isnt a good thing, or a bad thing, its just a part of your personality that everyone perceives differently. Same goes for being feminine, nothing wrong with it, its just percieved differently by other people.

Thats something a lot of people today think: wrong equals different. From Nazis to just casual racism, every single person has some sort of prejudice against something else. And for a lot of straight white males, one of those problems is the idea of a father figure. They think, oh the kid doesnt have a father, he'll end up gay. And thats just not the case. And even if he does, nothing wrong with that. Again, the same goes for women who dont have fathers. People say, oh, she'll end up a slut, and again, theres nothing wrong with that, if thats even what happens.

In fact, the more I talk about it, the more I realize that people just have a problem with being feminine. One of the most used insults for men is being gay, or a pussy, etc. For being women, they're bitches, sluts, etc. In reality, theres nothing wrong with being gay, being feminine, being sexually free, theres just an underlying prejudice against those lifestyles, that has stuck around since the church ruled the country.

So thats what I want to be taken away from this, is that different doesnt equal wrong, its just different. You may not understand it, you may not like it, but that doesnt mean you should persecute people for it. Because that puts you in the wrong. Mens rights isnt about regaining control, its about changing what it means to be masculine, into something more accepting and free of prejudice and hate.

In the end, I think masculinity shouldnt be used to describe the big strong men you used to see in the eighties. I think all men are masculine in their own way, and there's nothing wrong with that.