One thing that I very vividly remember from when I was a literature student was my professor telling us that the stereotypical gender roles that are set by our patriarchal society are equally toxic to men and women. And it is after this that I started noticing those toxic gender roles that my professor was talking about in my brother and my other guy friends. The truth is these traditional gender roles are so toxic that it takes men time (sometimes ages) to realise that this is in turn affecting them negatively. In fact, I did not know the extent of these so-called masculine things that men do that they actually hate until I came across a Reddit thread.
A Reddit user named u/KingJimi26 asked men, “What are the dumbest mainstream masculine things that you will never do/understand?” And the replies are so brutally truthful and some are even mind-boggling.
These Reddit answers reveal how a lot of actions and practices are done because they have been told that they’re masculine, but in actuality can be very harmful to them on a human level. Here are some of the answers that reveal the toxicity of gender roles:
Also Read: Wearing Women’s Clothes Doesn’t Mean You’re Less Masculine. These Men Rocking Androgynous Fashion Are Proof
Having a brother and guy friends in my life, I can easily say that some of these gender roles are something that they practise without even realising it. I guess that’s why they say that patriarchy and toxic gender roles are so deeply imbibed in our culture that most of the time we don’t even recognise it when we see it. Honestly, this Reddit thread is an eye-opener for all those who think that traditional masculine things only harm women. Clearly, it doesn’t.
Kangana Ranaut Says Feminism Isn’t About Being Masculine. And She Makes A Very Important Point