All posts tagged: Masculinity

Supersex is Netflix’s most explicit show ever: ‘We wanted to dive into the core of masculinity’

Supersex is Netflix’s most explicit show ever: ‘We wanted to dive into the core of masculinity’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Rocco Siffredi is an emblem, he’s an icon, he is the cock of the Western culture,” says Francesca Manieri, the filmmaker behind the Netflix drama Supersex, about one of history’s most prolific porn stars. “My goal was to put men in front of themselves. This is what we call the phallocentric system, the system in which the d*** is the centrum of the thought before everything. So what can you do right now, [in] 2024, to understand the relationship between men and women? And how can men put themselves in front of the image of their symbolic d*** and try to deconstruct all of this?” These are the lofty aims of Supersex, a Netflix seven-parter inspired by Siffredi’s life. The star of more than 1,300 adult films, Siffredi retired from on-camera sex in 2004 – then returned to action five years later, then claimed to have once again …

Soft jocks: toxic masculinity is out – sensitive men with huge muscles are in | Men

Soft jocks: toxic masculinity is out – sensitive men with huge muscles are in | Men

Name: Soft jocks. Age: Probably under 40. Appearance: Jock-like, but soft. Is this about pants? When I Google “soft jocks”, I mostly get ads for pants. This is about men: large, imposing, muscular men. What’s soft about them? Everything else. Is this about erectile dysfunction? Because those are the other ads I’m seeing. This is about a new template for modern masculinity. Says who? The online women’s magazine Bustle says the alpha male is being supplanted by a more beta incarnation. Soft jocks may have masculine physiques, but their insides are way less toxic. Can you give me an example of a soft jock? Bustle cites the actor Paul Mescal, “who pairs his hulking thighs with a deep appreciation for sad girl music”. That’s very helpful. Can you give me another example? Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift’s bearded, Super Bowl-winning boyfriend. So, sensitive, non-threatening, in touch with their feminine sides, but with enormous muscles. That’s the idea. It sounds as if the muscles are quite an important part of the package. They really help to explode …

Study shows men’s feelings of masculinity and accomplishment linked to partner’s orgasm method

Study shows men’s feelings of masculinity and accomplishment linked to partner’s orgasm method

A study focusing on young men in Florida found that they experienced heightened feelings of masculinity when imagining their partners achieving orgasm through intercourse or manual/oral stimulation they performed, compared to when they imagined their partners orgasming from the use of a vibrator. The paper was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. Sexual activities hold great importance for many individuals. From a biological standpoint, sex is essential for reproduction and species continuation. Psychologically, it can reinforce emotional connections and intimacy between partners, thereby contributing to mental well-being and relationship satisfaction. Socially, sex plays a vital role in human relationships and cultural practices, deeply entwined with personal identity, social norms, and values. An orgasm represents the climax of sexual pleasure, characterized by intense physical and emotional sensations, often accompanied by involuntary muscle contractions and a heightened sense of euphoria. Many view it as a hallmark of successful sexual encounters. Research indicates that men often perceive a woman’s orgasm as a gift provided by the man. Young adult men report feelings of confidence and achievement when …

Toxic masculinity and wrestling: Zac Efron on his role in The Iron Claw | Ents & Arts News

Toxic masculinity and wrestling: Zac Efron on his role in The Iron Claw | Ents & Arts News

Directed by Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw takes inspiration from the lives of the Von Erichs – a renowned professional wrestling family in the US. The A24 film centres on wrestling, of course, but also takes a deep dive into the impact of toxic masculinity and the refusal to examine emotions. “That’s one of the things that Sean spoke about early on in this process that drew me to the story”, Zac Efron says. The 36-year-old actor plays Kevin in the film – the oldest of the Von Erich siblings who has dedicated his life to professional wrestling under his father’s wing. Efron adds: “Examining it, whatever you want to call it, being a guy is hard to do and I think Sean really accomplished it with this movie.” His performance has been widely acclaimed by critics but he failed to pick up any nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes or BAFTAs. Image: Zac Efron in The Iron Claw. Pic: Brian Roedel/A24 Despite this, The Greatest Showman actor is glad that it’s resonating with audiences. …

why young men are turning against feminism

why young men are turning against feminism

Andrew Tate (left) and his brother, Tristan, at the court of appeal in Bucharest.Photograph: Vadim Ghirdă/AP “As soon as I mention feminism, you can feel the shift in the room; they’re shuffling in their seats.” Mike Nicholson holds workshops with teenage boys about the challenges of impending manhood. Standing up for the sisterhood, it seems, is the last thing on their minds. When Nicholson says he is a feminist himself, “I can see them look at me, like, ‘I used to like you.’” Once Nicholson, whose programme is called Progressive Masculinity, unpacks the fact that feminism means equal rights and opportunities for women, many of the boys with whom he works are won over. “A lot of it is bred from misunderstanding and how the word is smeared,” he says. But he is battling against what he calls a “dominance-based model” of masculinity. “These old-fashioned, regressive ideas are having a renaissance, through your masculinity influencers – your grifters, like Andrew Tate.” The attitudes of young men came under further scrutiny this week after a survey …

Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal on toxic masculinity: ‘The most macho man will be the first to break’ | Ents & Arts News

Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal on toxic masculinity: ‘The most macho man will be the first to break’ | Ents & Arts News

Andrew Scott says men are going through a “crisis” right now, struggling to find “what it means to be a man” in today’s society. The Irish actor – who became a household name thanks to his role as ‘hot’ priest in Fleabag – tells Sky News: “There’s a sort of crisis in masculinity I think at the moment and what it means to be a man. Image: Paul Mescal in All Of Us Strangers. Pic: Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures “We have all these things within us, there’s no one way of being, there just isn’t, and sometimes the people who are the most outwardly macho in some ways, are the people who aren’t going to be there for you emotionally. His co-star, fellow Irishman Paul Mescal, whose breakout role in hit drama Normal People has made him one of the most in demand actors right now, adds, “and they’ll be the first to break”. Scott nods: “When you are able to accept all those parts of you, I think that leads to better mental health and …

What voodoo dolls can teach us about toxic masculinity

What voodoo dolls can teach us about toxic masculinity

Threatened masculinity Psychology research procedures can be innovative and intricate, especially in the US. A study called “Examining the effect of threatened masculinity on gun violence” by Brittany Vincent and her colleagues at St. Joseph’s University in New York showcases these qualities. This research is planned to happen in four stages. First, the study says, “each participant will be given a baseline assessment of their masculinity”. Then each participant will be told about a difficult moral dilemma and asked how they would solve it. They will be informed that another participant will read their response and will give them “an audio recording about what they think of their response”. It is at this point that things get interesting: each participant will then “either have their masculinity threatened or be assigned to a control group”. In the final stage, the interestingness continues to grow: “participants will be asked to play a game involving an online voodoo doll where they will be asked to pretend the voodoo doll is the person from the recording, and to shoot …

Atlantic Hires Emba, Chatterton Williams, and Worth

Atlantic Hires Emba, Chatterton Williams, and Worth

The Atlantic January 3, 2024, 2:41 PM ET The journalists Christine Emba and Thomas Chatterton Williams will join The Atlantic as staff writers, and Robert Worth is becoming a contributing writer, editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg announced today. Christine joins from The Washington Post, where she was most recently a columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. Thomas joins staff this week after several years as a contributing writer; in the past year, he’s written about defining wokeism, against smelling weed in public, and profiled the artist Chase Hall. Robert has written periodically for The Atlantic since 1995, most recently investigating the bizarre story behind Shinzo Abe’s assassination for the October 2023 issue. Below is Goldberg’s note to staff: — Dear everyone, I’m writing to share some excellent news about three extraordinary journalists. First, I’m very pleased to let you know that Christine Emba is joining our team as a staff writer. Christine is a brilliant writer and sharp observer of the complexities and absurdities of modern life and culture. She has written memorably …

Why ‘toxic masculinity’ isn’t a useful term for understanding all of the ways to be a man

Why ‘toxic masculinity’ isn’t a useful term for understanding all of the ways to be a man

There seem to be as many interpretations of what “toxic masculinity” means as there are uses of the term. Some believe it’s a way to criticise what they see as specific negative behaviour and attitudes often associated with men. Others, such as broadcaster Piers Morgan, claim that media interest in toxic masculinity is part of a “woke culture” that aims to emasculate men. Others believe toxic masculinity is a fundamental part of manhood. My research into working-class young men in south Wales shows how masculinity is changing. Some men remain hostile to the notion of toxic masculinity and see the term as a vehicle for shaming men. And some are caught in a conflict between changing ideas of masculinity and traditional, unhealthy expressions of manhood. This is further complicated by the term itself. In its simplest sense, toxic masculinity refers to an overemphasis or exaggerated expression of characteristics commonly associated with masculinity. These include traits such as competition, self-reliance and being stoic, which produce behaviours such as risk-taking, fear of showing weakness, and an inability …

why Putin’s appeals to masculinity to recruit for the military will not work

why Putin’s appeals to masculinity to recruit for the military will not work

Hardliners in Russia have been calling for a full-scale mobilisation for some time, but so far Vladimir Putin has resisted the temptation for a full call-up due to its expected unpopularity. Instead, Russia is attempting to persuade thousands of men to enlist voluntarily as contract soldiers. The Kremlin’s recruitment campaign is designed to appeal to their sense of national pride and injured masculinity. But my research with working-class men – the primary targets of the campaign – suggest it is unlikely to succeed. Using gender as a political strategy has been central to Putin’s success. In the early days of his presidency, he liked to portray himself as an all-action military man, and later arranged photoshoots of himself fishing and riding horses bare-chested in the Russian wilderness. Putin used these displays of masculinity to project strength to a public for whom Russia’s weakness during the 1990s had been personified by his often-drunk predecessor Boris Yeltsin. This performance of a strong masculinity clearly had a broad appeal, as evidenced by the hit pop song: A Man …