#healthy masculinity

[asm5129]

I know this is NOT a popular take in the RWBY FNDM but y’all…I love Jaune Arc. He’s such a refreshing, interesting male character.

He’s Ruby’s best friend, and the two of them parallel each other in such FASCINATING ways. I’m planning a full video essay on this but as some examples:

1) They both have hero complexes, obviously.

2) Ruby is a prodigy who earns her place at beacon two years early, while Jaune cheated his way in and needs to work constantly outside of his school training to be anywhere near capable of huntsmen level combat

3) Jaune’s pain is loud and disruptive, Ruby’s pain is quiet and suppressed (examining their respective expressions of pain through the lens of gender expectations is REALLY interesting)

4) Ruby inherits silver eyes, an invaluable tool in fighting Grimm. Jaune inherited a regular sword, heavily outclassed by most of his peers.

5) Ruby made her weapon but modeled it after her mentor, Jaune had a hand-me-down

6) Ruby leads by developing plans and taking action, Jaune leads by supporting his team and bolstering their strengths with his own.

I’m sure there’s more too but those parallels are why their conflicts in vol 9 work so well for me, they are partners in narrative from literally the second episode.

I also just adore the commentary on masculinity with Jaune. From day one he was deconstructing traditional ideas of masculinity and patriarchal concepts of heroism.

The way he has to learn to reject so many of the things that blockbusters with men at the center have been pushing for decades is fantastic. He tried to pursue revenge like John Wick or Iron Man and it went HORRIBLY.

He can fight when necessary but it’s not where his true strength lies and that’s SO COOL for a male character.

I dunno y’all I just think he doesn’t deserve the hate. He doesn’t butt in on other stories nearly as much as people claim—in terms of Ruby, he actually serves her story quite a bit—and he is a character worth following in and of himself.

#rwby volume 9 #rwbypositivity #RWBY #rwby hiatus #rwby positivity #rwby meta #rwby analysis #jaune arc #masculinity #healthy masculinity #heroism #rwby volume 10 #greenlightrwbyvolume10 #ruby rose

[intersexfairy]

healthy masculinity exists and it's beautiful. i love when men are able to open about their emotions. i love when men cuddle together. i love when men are confident in their gender and know in their heart that nothing can make them any less of a man. i love when they do "traditionally masculine" things because it's what makes them happy, not because they feel like they have no choice.

and i love when this healthy masculinity is shared with others. i love when a man's vulnerability gives others the chance to be vulnerable too. i love when men become hair stylists and make-up artists, giving others the joy of self expression. i love when fathers teach their sons to be caring and gentle, and allow them to engage in "traditionally feminine" things. i love when men are able to be the representation they needed to see, and find comfort in how just their existence helps others.

i love when men are truly happy - especially marginalized men. there is so much joy in manhood and masculinity - people just need to be allowed to experience it.

#ifairy #healthy masculinity #men positivity #masculinity #mens health #men #lgbt man #gay man #trans man #transman #transmasc #transmasculinity #masc #feminist #feminism #queer #queer man #lgbt #gay #trans #ftm #trans guy #trans boy #positivity #intersectional feminist #intersectional feminism #gnc #gender nonconformity #gender nonconforming

[happysharkintensifies]

Booktok makes me sick, not just because of all the shitty books. It's the prevalence, no, the celebration, of toxic masculinity. Every single booktok book features some variation on the same man. And without fail, against all sensible reason, these characters are portrayed as handsome and charismatic and desirable.

It makes me sick when these authors hold up these toxic, predatory traits and put them on a pedestal as some kind of Ideal Man.

It makes me sick when their aggressiveness and possessiveness is treated as romantic. It makes me sick when these shitty men forcibly grab women, invade their personal spaces, and render them helpless by 'purring' in their ears, every. single. fucking. time.

It makes me sick that these misogynistic, heteronormative, and hypermasculine social conventions keep appearing in so-called feminist literature.

Strip away the idealized elements and you have what is basically the rich, white, cishet, alpha-male archetype. He's tall, usually six feet, physically fit and muscular with obligatory six pack abs, and conventionally handsome, with a chiseled jawline. He's usually clean-shaven, and any hair he may have on his body is minimal. He maintains composure at all times and rarely shows anxiety or uncertainty. He exudes raw charisma and charm and navigates social spaces effortlessly.

His hobbies, if he has any, are stereotypically masculine. When it comes to sex, he's confident, skilled, exclusively dominant, and always knows what to do without communicating with his partner. The sex he enjoys is usually rough, animalistic and overpowering. He may have been with several women in the past, and he may be regarded as a sex god, both in-universe and out.

His toxic traits are rarely portrayed as negative. But when they are, they're usually held up as some edgy, anti-hero persona and the reader is inevitably manipulated into sympathizing with him. He'll be portrayed as a tortured, wounded animal, and his female love interest (and, by proxy, the reader) will decide on some variation of 'I can fix him'.

He is essentially the unrealistic standard the ideal Proper Man; the one that men are expected to emulate, and that women are expected to swoon over.

But what really irks me is the lost potential.

If there are men who don't fit into this mold, they are depicted as pathetic, ineffectual, or any number of negative traits.

The narrative quietly and passive-aggressively mocks them and portray them as boring and un-sexy.

After all, is this the kind of man who will bravely swoop in and sweep a helpless woman off her feet? Of course not. Such men are boys. Wimps. Cowards.

These books are supposed to be fantasy: a genre in which easily anything can be explored. If faeries, magic, and contrived mating bonds can exist, then why can't we also have male characters who exist outside the stereotypical, hypermasculine mold?

Why is it that we can have so many fantastical, impossible, and wondrous magical forces, creatures, and peoples, but we can't have men who aren't possessive, abusive, or controlling?

Why is it that male characters, have to be so innately dominant, abusive, and violent? Why do they have to be so fit and muscular and strong?

Even worse, why is it treated as something that is so natural, so inescapable, even in the realm of fiction?

Where are the men who aren't tall and fit? Where are the men who don't have sculpted abs or chiseled jawlines? Where are the men who aren't lean and muscular?

Why can’t we have men who are skinny or overweight? Why can't we have men who aren't handsome or attractive, but just average looking? Why can't we have men who are shorter or just average height?

Why can't we have men with non-stereotypical hobbies? Why can't we have men who love to read, or paint, or write, or sing, or dance, or build model kits?

Why can’t we have men who are timid and shy? Why can't we have men who feel anxiety, fear, and sadness? Why can't we have men who aren't afraid of crying openly?

Why can't we have men who aren't sex gods? Why can't we have men who aren't confident in bed? Who are anxious, or even scared, at the prospect of sex? Who are passive instead of dominant? Who want to experience intimacy and affection?

Why can’t we have men be kind and gentle and sweet for once?

I'll tell you why we can't. Because booktok says men like these are not 'man' enough. Booktok says men like these are the 'boring' option, and completely devoid of interesting quirks, traits or personality. Booktok says men like these are underserving of attention, and only fit to be background noise.

As far as booktok is concerned, men like these can't exist.

#anti sjm #anti booktok #anti colleen hoover #anti coho #masculinity #toxic masculinity #booktok critical #healthy masculinity #fuck booktok

[claireywestside]

Men Of Middle Earth

The beacons of healthy masculinity are lit!

Name three six men you’d feel safe to be around.

#lord of the rings #the two towers #aragorn #eomer #haldir #faramir #samwise gamgee #legolas #positive masculinity #healthy masculinity

[grunge-samurai]

*watching Dune for the first time, when this scene comes up*

Me, having a strained relationship with my psychologically abusive, narcissistic father, who has never spent time bonding with me, nor has he emotionally supported me once throughout my lifetime:

#dune #dune 2021 #denis villeneuve #film #frank herbert #sci fi #science fiction #timothée chalamet #oscar isaac #paul atreides #leto atreides #house atreides #father son relationship #healthy masculinity #positive masculinity #dysfunctional family #narcissistic father #strained relationship #emotional damage

[theambitiouswoman]

A masculine man wants a feminine woman who is his valued counterpart. Not a doormat or a pushover. Nor is he looking for his gender twin-a masculine woman. He wants a woman who will compliment his masculinity with her femininity.

Masculine men don't see femininity as less valuable than masculinity. good men view women, and look for women, that they see as different but equal to them. Not inferior to them. Most men hold femininity at very high regard because it is so hard to find, that they see it as a strength. When we operate from our feminine energy, men naturally want to protect us, care for us, adore and honor us.

Although some feminine qualities like softness and tenderness seem insignificant to us because they are natural and effortless, they are precious to a man. Our feminine softness proves valuable because it soothes his soul and contributes to his sense of well-being. our femininity makes a man feel masculine. And his masculinity restores his energy. Without a feminine woman in his life, a man often lacks inspiration and settles for an average life.

#hyper feminine #femininity journey #femininity tips #dark feminine energy #dark femininity #feminine energy #divine feminine #tradfem #level up journey #healthy masculinity #healthy relationship #relationshipgoals #sacred feminine #the sacred feminine

[vaguefiend]

Thinking a lot about how "true manhood" is used as a carrot under patriarchy - where socially ascribed masculinity is given by and large to those who enforce patriarchy - overwhelmingly privileged men.

Thinking a lot about how the threat of taking away socially ascribed masculinity - in short, the threat of someone being perceived as less masculine - is used to keep men in line under patriarchy.

Anyway marginalized men who know and insist they are men regardless of the threat of socially ascribed manhood being reduced or taken away entirely are incredibly powerful.

Refusing to believe that manhood is socially ascribed based on commitment to patriarchy and instead believing manhood stems from one's own identity is a radical belief that threatens patriarchy because it effectively nullifies one of the main enforcement tactics of patriarchy.

Trans men existing are a threat to patriarchy simply by knowing we are men in a world that insists our masculinity is only to be given as a reward for enacting patriarchy.

#trans #trans men #trans man #transmasc #masculinity #manhood #healthy masculinity #gender #feminism #patriarchy

[faramirsonofgondor]

It fills with me with sorrow that aren’t enough fics focusing on Sam & Jamie’s friendship. I want them having sleepovers. I want them gossiping together. I want them teasing each other about their crushes. I want them sharing secrets. I want them comforting each other when their sad or upset. I want them supporting each other. I want Sam’s gentle kindness and Jamie’s obsessive nature. I want to see more about their reconciliation. I want to see more about Sam’s reaction to Jamie wearing his number. I want to see Sam’s concern for for Jamie during Mom City and Jamie’s concern for Sam in The Strings That Bind Us. I want Sam cautiously approaching Jamie after La Locker Room Aux Folles to tell him that if Jamie ever needs to talk about anything he’ll be there. I want Jamie coming out to Sam. I want doing nice things for each other. I want them loving each other. I WANT MORE.

#jamie tartt #sam obisanya #ted lasso #platonic love #best friends #bisexual #healthy masculinity

[slithymomerath]

Me when cis boys act like girls are an alien species: Please make one (1) female friend. I am begging you please just make one friend you’ll see how beautiful and lovely and flawed and human of a person they are, it will brighten a whole part of your world, bro please—

Me when cis girls act like boys are an alien species: Please make one (1)—do I have to repeat the whole comparison or do you get it. Please stop with the gender essentialism, it’s literally the worst for everyone, once you make one (1) friend you’ll understand, no if you secretly look down on them or think of them as ‘other’ it doesn’t count, sorry to inform you but that’s not actually friendship. Love, your friendly neighborhood tran

#is this a little bit directed at my radfem sister? yes #anti radfem #anti gender essentialism #gender essentialism #queer #trans #gender #feminism #intersectionality #intersectional feminism #healthy masculinity #give your male friends a hug #campost

[stuckyfingers]

"Raise your hand if you're a guy with unshakeable morals, the symbol of an entire country, who has challenged the foundations of their own governments at some point- and also has a childhood best friend you eventually fell in love with, and said friend returns after a long time of being apart and saves you from dying after you fall into a body of water-" Steve and T'Challa: *raises hands* "Did I mention the return of the best friend shortly after the death of the leader of your organization coincides with your disillusionment with your government?" Steve and T'Challa: "...." *looks at each other* "Oh, also,, you freeze up and blank out in the presence or mention of your crush. This is so relevant that people around you either have multiple lines of dialogue telling you to focus, or use this trait against you." Steve and T'Challa: I- "According to many people, you're also an example of healthy masculinity, comparable to Fred Rogers. Thought I'd add that too."

#steve rogers #t'challa udaku #captain america #black panther #healthy masculinity #parallels #steve meta #t'challa meta #meta #inspo

[maro0on]

period king we love it

#big hero 6 #big hero six #cartoon #masculinity #healthy masculinity #comfortable masculinity #periodt #gogo tomago #honey lemon #bh6

[yellowbluemoonshine]

In one of your posts (the favorite ship list), you mentioned that Ochaco is the more "masculine" in IzuOcha relationship, care to explain the reasoning behind that assessment?

Soft Boy & Tough Girl

Yeah, sure, and here’s what i mean in this post when i said Uraraka is the ‘masculine one’ in their relationship;

Izuku is unique shounen character for having alive mother because most of the shounen male characters lost their mother in some way or another and  Izuku’s father doesnt seem to be around either. Which is also why having a loving mother is the reason why Izuku is soft.

Something i really like about Izuku’s character is; Izuku cries when he is sad. He just cries, feels scared and he doesnt feel shame for crying or being scared. He doesnt feel any shame for being vulnerable. And i really like that about him because it is really rare to see in a male character.

Traits traditionally viewed as masculine in Western society include strength, courage, independence, leadership, and assertiveness.

Basically, Izuku is not masculine guy. He doesnt have any strength, he is scared, he is more follower type than leader, he has very low esteems. Especially at the start of series. This is who Izuku is.

He is just a normal boy and the reason i like this is because in media, we get many male characters who is most likely masculine, most of the time, they suffer from toxic masculinity, they feel insecure and lash out and sadly, audience seems to like it.

And later in series, even Deku gets stronger, even he gets confidence, become leader, or braver, he is not trying to look himself more masculine. He is not trying to dominate other people in any way. Basically, he doesnt show toxic masculinity.

And i like Izuku is not like that. We always gets to see bad examples of when a boy shows his vulnerable, he gets to hear ‘you are not man enough’, ‘you have to be strong’ but i like that story tells Izuku opposite.

‘Is your burden so heavy that it doesnt even let you cry? It looks like something you should share with us.’

Also when Izuku says 'heroes dont cry', Shouto is the one who reminds him again that its okay to cry. (This is also why i ship Tododeku too.)

The thing is some people is more sensitive to emotions, some people cry more easiely than others and thats how Izuku is. Izuku is very soft boy, he is very empathic, he is sensitive to other people’s emotions and he cry easiely and that is okay.

Compared to Izuku, Ochaco is kinda opposite.

She is tomboy but not your usual tomboy you see in media. She is not wearing boy clothes or extreme feminine clothes. She is just tough and she has the confidence. She wears whatever she feels comfortable with. Its like it doesnt matter to her and i love that.

Though, Ochaco is the one who seems to repress her sadness and any other negative feelings compared to Izuku who shows it freely. Which is why i think Ochaco is comfortable with him, even in novel she says, the first day at school seeing Izuku like that made her comfortable because she realized she wasnt the only one who felt nervous.

Also, unlike the ‘boy save the girl’ trope, in their relationship, its opposite. Its the ‘girl saves the boy’. Ochaco is Izuku’s hero since day one. The fact that before he was powerless, before the time he proved his worth to others, the fact that she showed kindness to him means a lot to Izuku. She was always kind to him, even when he was at his worst. Their helping each others happens too. Ochaco feels admiration towards him and think about him a lot, (writing has its flaws) but whenever Izuku thinks about his most important people in life, she is always part of it.

And another reason why i like izuocha and not other ships with her that much is because even though, Izuku was never masculine guy, Ochaco doesnt seem to see him as less guy or less attractive. Actually, seeing him so true to himself is what makes him attractive to her. Instead of populer guys in her class such as Bakugou who is good example of toxic masculinity or Shouto who seems tough and perfect, at least from outside. She just loves Izuku. She loves the boy whom everyone sees him as loser but to her, he was never a loser, she never sees him crying as annoying or bad thing, it is just part of him and she accepts it. And not only Ochaco doesnt mind Izuku's being vulnerable but also Izuku doesnt mind being protected by her, it doesnt feel him any inferior, actually it only makes him happy.

And when Izuku is vulnerable, instead of judging him, she holds his hand and says ‘Its okay’ and she is like ‘i am gonna protect this boy’. Unlike the usual romance where men always protect the women, Ochaco protects Izuku and thats fine because it doesnt matter if its a boy or girl. The one who needs help deserves to be protected. In this relationship, boy is the more vulnerable and emotional one and she helps him. Thats okay, this is normal, this is what healthy, supportive relationship is.

And this is the reason i love Izuocha at first place. Yes, writing has so much flaws but i love their origin relationship. And i hope we get better writing but well, its very nice ship.

#izuocha #bnha ships #bnha ship meta #midoriya izuku #uraraka ochaco #todoroki shouto #tododeku #toxic masculinity #healthy masculinity #bnha analysis #midoriya inko #mha meta #anon ask #bnha ship analysis

[jenthebug]

My husband is weapons grade pissed off because his car is $800 worth of broken.

He’s being quiet and grumpy, but not toward me or Jay.

That’s it. I don’t have to walk on eggshells. I don’t have to baby him. He’s being polite and respectful. And he has savings to take care of the bill.

:)

I just wish I had a big wad of cash to give him because he deserves to use his savings on something fun.

#my husband is awesome #healthy masculinity

[miasmultifandomdump]

I just don't think we give Jackson enough credit for being someone Aiden felt comfortable coming out to at seventeen years old or the fact that he clearly made a space where straight wasn't seen as the only option and, as he jokingly says, gave Aiden the "love is love" talk and supported Aiden's relationship with a vampire because it made him happy. Jackson was such an ally. Love that for him.

Jackson, imo, is also in general just a great example of healthy masculinity. The man is clearly in line with what people consider to be more masculine. He has a beard and he's protective and he's outdoorsy. But he listens to Hayley's advice, he accepts Aiden being gay, and he doesn't push the idea that you have to fit in a gender role box to be worthy of his respect. He apologizes when he messes up. I just think he's neat.

#jackson kenner #aiden l #the originals #lgbt ally #lgbt representation #healthy masculinity #all queued up with nowhere to go

[theambitiouswoman]

Healthy masculine energy:

Has healthy boundaries

Is honest about how he feels

Is clear about what direction he’s going in

Isn’t a people pleaser

Will not react to manipulation tactics, control or force

Is present

Doesn’t judge

Supportive

Accountable

Disciplined

Has integrity

Humble

Conscious and aware

Grounded

Focused

Logical

Committed

Confident

Offers stability and security

Protective

#masculine #energy #energies #healthy masculinity #healthyhabits #healthy relationship #masculine energy

[claireywestside]

Men Of Middle Earth

The beacons of healthy masculinity are lit!

Name six more men you’d feel safe to be around.

#lord of the rings #lotr #elrond #gandalf #pippin #merry #frodo #Gimli #healthy masculinity #positive masculinity