Toxic Masculinity In Media

There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women. The types of media that encourage Toxic Masculinity are Television, Music, and Social Media. Toxic Masculinity is

Media reinforces toxic masculinity through lyrics of popular songs. An example of this comes from the song “That’s My Kind of Night” by Luke Bryan. Bryan sings, “I got that real good feel good stuff. Up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck. Rollin’ on 35s. Pretty girl by my side. You got that sun tan skirt and boots. Waiting on you to look my way and scoot. Your little hot self over here. Girl hand me another beer, yeah!”(That’s My Kind of Night, 2013). He talks about having a “big black jacked up truck” and having a pretty girl by his side(That’s My Kind of Night, 2013). He uses words like “big” and “jacked up” which invokes the feeling of strength and power (That’s My Kind of Night, 2013). He then continues to brag that he has a “pretty girl by his side”(That’s My Kind of Night, 2013). The girl symbolizes a reward for men, therefore Bryan is implying that because he has the truck, he also gets an award. Bryan then abruptly sings “Girl hand me another beer” which does not relate to the previous lyrics, making it seem like a side comment (That’s My Kind of Night, 2013). Because it has no context behind it, it could imply that demanding his girl to get him a beer is normal, therefore he does not even have to ask. The lyrics suggest that having a big truck and being demanding of his girlfriend is manly. Therefore, these lyrics encourage these kinds of behaviours and label them as manly, which then causes men to act the same way. Another example of song lyrics that reinforce toxic masculinity is “I’m Still A Guy” by Brad Paisley. Paisley sings, “But when you say a back rub means only a back rub. Then you swat my hand when I try. Well, what can I say at the end of the day. Honey, I 'm still a guy”(Paisley, 2007). After being told by his girlfriend that she does not want to have sex, he still continues to touch her. He then tries to justify his sexual advancements by saying that he is “still a guy” (Paisley, 2007). This implies that it is ordinary for a