Deconstructing an old masculine ideal that serves no one. Read "Real men and pink suits"

Yesterday, NYTimes columnist Charles Blow wrote a thoughtful piece on how our old ideas about masculinity hurt women, gay men, children, and the straight men. I liked this paragraph:

The man that we mythologize in the backs of our minds is a cultural concoction, an unattainable ideal, a perfect specimen of muscles and fearlessness and daring. Square-jawed and well-rounded. Potent and passionate. Sensitive but not sentimental. And, above all else, unwaveringly heterosexual and without even a hint of softness.

This article talks about how this masculine ideal often results in bullying and violence against women and gay men.

Read the whole article.