Toxic Femininity
I read an article on how Emmerdale will run a Toxic Masculinity storyline.
I tire of this toxic masculinity stuff. Why do we never talk about toxic women? Does Toxic Feminity even exist? The answer is, it depends on who you talk to.
In the interests of fairness, people will rightly point out that yes, women, just the same as men, have the capability to be toxic. However others say, if you think toxic feminity exists, then you are part of the problem.
They will say if women have become toxic, it is only because the patriarchy made them that way. As other respondents point out, if that is the case, then men became toxic because of the patriarchy. You see, you can't just negate the blame for your own actions and behaviour by levelling them at someone else. That, for want of a better word, is toxic. There are men who have been raped, abused, beaten and emotionally destroyed by women. That's not to say that toxic masculinity exists, of course it exists, it just acknowledges that actually people regardless of gender have the capability to be the assholes.
However if we say that certain male behaviour is toxic, who exactly makes that judgement? Who says that there's a certain behaviour to aim for? Who put women on a pedestal and told us that they are incapable of being toxic, or making mistakes, that it's all the fault of the patriarchy? Is seems to me that in trying to empower women, we also strip away any responsibility that they have.
I tire of this toxic masculinity stuff. Why do we never talk about toxic women? Does Toxic Feminity even exist? The answer is, it depends on who you talk to.
In the interests of fairness, people will rightly point out that yes, women, just the same as men, have the capability to be toxic. However others say, if you think toxic feminity exists, then you are part of the problem.
They will say if women have become toxic, it is only because the patriarchy made them that way. As other respondents point out, if that is the case, then men became toxic because of the patriarchy. You see, you can't just negate the blame for your own actions and behaviour by levelling them at someone else. That, for want of a better word, is toxic. There are men who have been raped, abused, beaten and emotionally destroyed by women. That's not to say that toxic masculinity exists, of course it exists, it just acknowledges that actually people regardless of gender have the capability to be the assholes.
However if we say that certain male behaviour is toxic, who exactly makes that judgement? Who says that there's a certain behaviour to aim for? Who put women on a pedestal and told us that they are incapable of being toxic, or making mistakes, that it's all the fault of the patriarchy? Is seems to me that in trying to empower women, we also strip away any responsibility that they have.
Comments