Defining toxic masculinity

According to Oxford English Dictionary, toxic masculinity is defined as “a set of attitudes and ways of behaving stereotypically associated with or expected of men, regarded as having a negative impact on men and on society as a whole.”

Dylan Linton (’23) said it entails a “preconceived notion that men have to be a certain way and they have to act a certain way.”

Connor Eaton (’21) said he is on the fence about the premise. On the one hand, he points to certain historical benefits of masculinity – it was traditional masculinity that liberated Bergen-Belsen and stormed the beaches of Normandy.

On the other hand, he said institutions of masculinity can be “correlated with innumerable social issues that affect men just as much as anyone else.”