Toxic Masculinity: Damaging Toward Men and Women

This essay tries to demarcate what actual masculinity is as opposed to social gendered stereotypes that shift over time. It is the author’s observation that weak, predominantly men without a particularly strong or true internal identity, will hang onto external validations of power and control in order to feel “manly”. This is important to mention because seeking external validation of power robs men developing into proper masculine adults. Being a “man”, or a “woman”, these identity things, are first, and foremost, internal processes.

The act of nail painting in men is frequently interpreted as a deviation from conventional masculine norms, often resulting in perceptions of effeminacy or emasculation.