All articles tagged with #masculinity
A look at how gym-themed public displays by Trump-era officials—featuring Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., and Kid Rock—are deployed as political messaging to project masculine strength and energize voters, amid policy fights and looming foreign crises, with experts noting the tactic taps cultural anxieties about male identity.
Condé Nast named Adam Baidawi, 35, as GQ's global editorial director, replacing Will Welch. Baidawi, who led British GQ and was deputy global editorial director, will oversee all GQ editions and Pitchfork, relocate to New York, and push a more participatory, modern take on masculinity with expanded long-form video and audio.
After a colonoscopy found benign polyps, food creator Patrick Kong adopted a batch-cooked, macro-focused diet he calls “boy kibble,” a lean, efficient alternative to the internet’s “girl dinner.” The trend—men using protein-forward, calorie-controlled meals to hit fitness goals—is analyzed as a gendered reframing of dieting, reflecting broader cultural conversations about masculinity, nutrition, and optimization, and gaining traction online as fitness influencers shape how meals are prepared and consumed.
The HBO Max series Heated Rivalry highlights that, despite some progress, men’s professional sports still stigmatize openly gay players: few active gay athletes exist in major leagues, many come out after retirement, and locker rooms cling to a narrow masculine ideal. The piece contrasts with women's sports where out players are common, cites landmark figures who came out, and notes surveys suggesting growing acceptance, even as incidents and resistance persist. The show has spurred more LGBTQ hockey participation and conversations, but hasn’t yet produced a broad cultural shift in top leagues.
New research shows men lose weight more effectively when weight-loss strategies are social, masculine, and goal-driven: male-only groups and sport-based, workplace programs boost engagement, while traditional dieting often falls short. Men prefer exercise over strict dieting, respond to small daily behavior changes, and track progress with wearables and personalized targets, suggesting that gender-tailored approaches yield better, sustained weight loss.
RFK Jr. announced via a White House post that the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines would 'end the war on protein' and push more animal protein, but experts say there is no such war and Americans already consume high levels of protein. The piece frames the move as optics tied to masculinity and MAGA politics, amid broader debates over dietary guidance and the role of marketing in shaping protein consumption.
The article discusses the rise of self-mocking man sketches in comedy, highlighting how modern portrayals of masculinity on social media and in stand-up comedy reveal the absurdities and contradictions of being a man in the 2020s, emphasizing humor rooted in insecurity and self-awareness.
The 1985 Levi's 'Launderette' ad, featuring Nick Kamen in his underwear, marked a cultural milestone by flipping traditional gender roles and introducing a female gaze on a male body, boosting sales and influencing future advertising and perceptions of masculinity.
The article highlights eight often unnoticed sacrifices men make daily, such as suppressing emotions, carrying the mental load, staying in unfulfilling jobs, accepting minimized struggles, being the calm in crises, downplaying health issues, accepting loneliness, and postponing personal dreams, all driven by societal expectations of masculinity, which often leads to emotional and physical tolls that remain invisible and unacknowledged.
David Szalay's novel Flesh, which explores masculinity, the body, and contemporary life through the story of Hungarian immigrant István, won the Booker Prize, marking a significant achievement in his career and highlighting his focus on raw, realistic storytelling about male experiences.
Dan Trachtenberg's Predator trilogy, including Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Predator: Badlands, explores themes of masculinity and community, reimagining the franchise with new angles such as gender roles and teamwork, while emphasizing the importance of allies and shared strength in overcoming threats.
The article explores the MAHA movement among men, emphasizing self-care, physicality, and a return to traditional masculinity, while highlighting the movement's blend of nostalgia, skepticism of modern medicine, and interest in biohacking and technology. It discusses how MAHA appeals to men's desire for control and physical strength, and the potential risks and benefits of their health practices.
Boots is a Netflix series set in 1990s Marine Corps training that challenges traditional notions of masculinity, emphasizing compassion and emotional strength over machismo, and features a gay protagonist navigating identity and military life amidst cultural debates about 'wokeness' and gender roles.
The premiere of 'Task' introduces two contrasting single fathers, an FBI agent and an outlaw, exploring themes of masculinity, family, and morality through their parallel lives and a tense criminal chase, set against the backdrop of Philadelphia.
Menopause is transforming how men perceive masculinity and engage in their partners' health, with many men now actively supporting their wives through symptoms and fostering emotional vulnerability, which is improving relationships and challenging traditional gender roles.