*There were three girls that would prefer to stay anonymous in this story.

When we experience something so often we begin to go blind to it. It starts to become normal, going through our day expecting nothing but what we have been accustomed to. Toxic masculinity has become so deep-rooted in our society that we don’t even notice it anymore. 

Toxic masculinity is the cultural pressure for men to behave in a certain way. Toxic masculinity refers to the notion that some people’s idea of “manliness” perpetuates domination, homophobia, and aggression (Spunout.ie). Society constantly thinks of men and tells them that they are supposed to be strong. It has become a larger issue now in the 21st century as boys have started to grow up with social media and now feel even more pressure to meet these expectations. As these boys grow up their Paleomammalian Cortex starts to develop telling their limbic brain that this is the way that they should act but how much is too much when it comes to society’s view? (Keck Medicine)

The more that this becomes the norm within men our age the more effect it has on the other gender as well. Aggressive remarks and being in the presence of a toxic man for a while can cause permanent damage to someone’s mental and physical health. The degrading remarks that can be produced can lower energy levels and raise people’s insecurities(Amy Morin, Verywell Mind). Going through the day constantly being put down by men or over talked by them can be exhausting and can cause damage to both people through the abuse. 

“I never thought that what someone else said about me would ever affect me, but the more that I stare at myself in the mirror I start to see all these things that boys have said about me,” a sophomore girl said. 

Many believe that toxic masculinity isn’t a thing or it doesn’t happen within our age group, but that is quite the opposite both females and males have dealt with the pain that stems from toxic masculinity. 

“It makes me feel worse about myself when a guy just shuts me down on something just because I’m a girl,” a freshman girl said. 

While sophomore Andrew Emerson has provided his own perspective on how toxic masculinity has affected society as a whole.

 “There isn’t a problem, it’s just guys being guys. It’s a good thing for everyone to deal with. They have to learn that the world isn’t kind sometimes,” Emerson said.

 Another person related their experience with it when they were involved in a toxic relationship. 

“I never felt like I was good enough for them. They constantly told me what I was doing wrong and how I should dress,” a junior female said. 

While everyone continues to deal with toxic masculinity it has changed the way that people get into relationships now. 

“It’s something that I always have to be aware of and something I need to watch for,” Ainslee Bolejack, freshman, said.

After seeing the effect that it has within our generation many people have moved to try and fix the growing problem. 

“The main thing that we can do is work to allow men to express their feelings through adolescence otherwise it will lead to a toxic mentality as they grow up,” Amy Morin, licensed clinical social worker, said. 

Others believe that both parties need to take a step back and work together to create a healthier society together. 

“If a girl wants to talk about toxic masculinity they need to search within their own souls, they have a heck of a lot more issues than guys do,” Emerson said. 

While both parties can be blamed for how our society has become it will take work from both sides to create a healthy relationship between them. 

“Toxic men are the reason I’m gay,” the junior female said.