Hypermasculinity
Hypermasculinity emphasizes traditional male traits taken to an extreme, often including aggression, toughness, and emotional suppression.
Examples:
1. Glorifying violence – Believing that real men solve problems through physical dominance or aggression.
2. Suppressing emotion – Viewing any emotional expression (except anger) as weakness or feminine.
3. Sexual dominance – Treating sex as a conquest and valuing men based on their number of sexual partners.
4. Body obsession – Excessive focus on building a muscular, “alpha” physique to signal power and virility.
5. Homophobia and misogyny – Rejecting anything associated with femininity or non-heterosexual identities as a threat to masculinity.
Toxic Masculinity
Toxic masculinity refers to cultural norms that encourage men to behave in ways that are harmful to themselves or others.
Examples:
1. “Boys don’t cry” mentality – Teaching boys to bottle up emotions instead of expressing vulnerability in healthy ways.
2. Controlling behavior in relationships – Believing men should dominate decision-making or control their partner’s actions.
3. Fear of appearing weak – Avoiding help, therapy, or vulnerability because it might be seen as “unmanly.”
4. Sexual entitlement – Feeling owed sex in relationships, or dismissing consent as unnecessary.