Around 2015, the (previously obscure) term ‘toxic masculinity’ settled into cultural discourse. At first it described a style of masculinity that supports misogyny and violence, Andrew-Tate-style. But gradually the concept expanded, referring now to ‘men behaving badly’ in a range of ways.
Used as shorthand for certain types of teenage boys to steer clear of, toxic masculinity grew into a catch-all descriptor for a broad spectrum of male behaviour. Some of the behaviours are easy to spot: homophobia, sexism, gender based violence. Others are tricky to pin down: it could be an attitude, a whiff of aloofness, an element of aggression. Yet the term stands and is used a lot.
I’m doing a D Prof currently, looking at the effects of this trope on men and what has been missed while we’ve been focussing on women’s rights