What Even Is Masculinity? (According to Cinema) 

“Come on, you know I’m hot.” That’s one deeply held presupposition I DON’T need to re-examine.

this is the kinky boots appreciation we all deserve

"i muted this so you don't have to" popped up as my finger was LITERALLY hovering over the mute button. i feel seen.

"Whenever a men's rights activist cites some statistic about male combats fatalities, higher rates of mental illness, or harsher prison sentences, it's never an attempt to advocate for medical or judicial reform, it's only ever an attempt to shut women up." IVE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE FOREVER THANK YOU 🙌

I forgot that he starred in kinky boots! We love actors with R A N G E

I laughed OUT LOUD “Is this a stan video? Its not.. not that”

It's me, I'm the woman who looks cooler than all men in a leather jacket

The other day I searched for the MakeupAddiction subreddit (a sub for makeup recs, tutorials and looks) and one of the top results was a post in the MGTOW sub talking about how MUA is a "gold mine for Cluster B and damaged women", telling men to "be careful" and that "thots" were posting to the sub for validation. Why men going their own way were on a sub for makeup if they don't like makeup was definitely confusing to me.

I cannot possibly express how much I enjoy everything about your channel and personality. You're undeniably one of my favourite creators, and I truly appreciate the work that you put into each video.

Masculinity, like femininity, is largely irrelevant. A strong woman is no less of a woman for being strong, and a gentle man is no less a man for being gentile. These are antiquated terms that serve no modern function.

"oh, and content warnings (some people get triggered by those)" from that, i could already tell it was going to be a great video

"part time bendy straw" 😂😂😂😂

First of all,I'm with you on Chiwetel Ejiofor being one hell of an actor. He's,in my opinion, so underrated. Second,I'm new to this channel, but you are becoming my favourite. Your vids are fantastic. Keep up the good work!

"but it's descended into a fascist police state that incarcerates immigrants and other undesirables" me watching in June of 2020: oh big yikes

I have complex ptsd because I was an intellectual kid with little physical skill to him in the '90s. I've been harassed, punched, kicked, attacked with clubs and everything in-between because I was not "masculine enough". I had to learn to fight to survive and became damn good at it... it was my downfall. Now I'm 35, barely started to put my life back on tracks this year. I know for a fact that what they did collectively to me was wrong, I'm a dysfunctional adult, it took me years to get rid of my violent defensive impulses, I still have troubles with socialization as it leaves me anxious and obsessed with self-perfection to avoid discord, my emotions are in shamble. And it gave me nothing in exchange. Bullying and hypermasculinity are actually an ablation of the ego with the goal of making you ready to sacrifice yourself in case of an emergency. It's basically a per-historical preschool for child soldiers. It serves nothing in the modern world, it's a cultural artifact of a world that came and past, but we lost the meaning of it all. In a world where 90% of men were likely to die before reproduction, it made some kind of utilitarian sense to protect survival, but in the modern world, where cooperation is key to a stable development due to increased international inter reliance and peace, those aggressive behaviors are counterproductive if not downright dangerous. This world of hyper-competition and aggression makes no sense anymore, but we didn't evolve yet for our time period. Genetically it takes tens of thousands of years to see changes based on mortality pre reproduction, we won't see that, we have to adapt while our primitive brains are left in the neolithic. We have to learn to recognize these dysfunctional instincts and learn to put them under check otherwise we will suffer from it and transfer them through painful experiences to the next generations who will, in turn, face the same issues we do about gender identity, violence, small egos easily bruised and hopeless social prospects. By the way, I really like the final morale, accepting change was what saved me from self-inflicted death in the long run, I was one of the lucky ones, I was saved more than once from those destructive learnings by family, friends and myself... but it wasn't an easy treck to get where I'm finally starting (a bit) to feel happy most days, still a long way to go (at least until I die, there is always more land to cover in self-discovery). Real courage is facing demons, most of them live in your own skull.

Kilts are warmer, thank you very much.

Will a workout program for cis women get me cheekbones like you?

It's intresting that even though the whole Alpha and Beta thing has disproven, a lot, most people still see it as something valid

music in the intro is “Testosterone” by Bush. (not sure if it was sourced anywhere in the video but i figured some people might want to know like i did)

I don't want to sound weird, but I think I'm in love with you

Every now and again, the algorithm throws me a gem. Subscribed.

Anyone who has Lindsey Ellis on their side bar is my friend.

"What is masculinity?" *aggressive rock music plays in background* Me: nice

WOWOWOWOW... Einstein used to say “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”, you understand ... thanks for making me think ... please accept a hug from lisbon, portugal, EU

I so agree with you wholeheartedly. I am very young and lack a lot of experience. But so often I look at the men in my life who want so much to control me out of righteousness. And I realise I a seventeen year old girl am more of a man than all of them. Cause I know there is nothing strong about stubbornness. I relish being wrong and realising it. And they are but children throwing tantrums at the truth until it goes away.

What is needed to form a well rounded man is an understanding and acceptance of weakness. Contempt of it creates a fragile human.

i don't understand people's obsession with gender. i didn't grow up in a world where all men acted the same and thought the same or all women acted the same and thought the same. i couldn't guess who someone is from their biological sex; i'd have to get to know them. did other people grow up in some other world?

I tought this was about masculinity, but actually was just an excuse to talk about Chiwetel Ejiofor best performances (which is fine to me).

Smart, hilarious, and insightful. Missed this guy.

Well... yes. Yes you are hot. And it's not just the physical. That's just a bonus. :D

The slow zoom in on Ben Shapiro's smug little face made this an 9/10 to an 11/10 video.

also, i didn't even know kinky boots was a movie first.

My favourite example of links between clothing and masculinity/feminity, is the fact one the greatest empire, the Roman Empire, was litterally conquered by men in skirts.

"I muted this footage so you don't have to" *Oh my god I love you so much*

Am I the only one who's elated that a dude can be THIS conventionally attractive and be THIS much of a feminist? Oh no. Is this what they call the "big gay"? Is this what it's like?

This video is amazing. This is the internet I signed up for.

Man...I’m so glad I learned about your channel this summer. Each and every one of your videos is an absolute joy to watch, and you somehow get better with each one you post. You’re so well-informed, and have such a pleasant, noncondescending demeanor when you’re presenting the information you’ve clearly put in a lot of work to research. Just...really great stuff, keep doing what you’re doing!!

As a trans guy who has struggled with my perceived masculinity and how I don't necessarily fit into rigid boxes of manhood, this video is just what I needed. Not only was it a refreshing take, I have new movies to watch as well as a new favorite channel. I knew you were great before this, don't get me wrong, but yeah. Thank you so much for this video and the time, effort, and hard work you put into making them.

This is the kind of conversations we need to have about masculinity and dudes, I don't like just saying man bad bc it's not what is needed, it just creates more animosity.

God I love this guy. As a woman who has had predominantly negative interactions with men I am actively trying to understand men, and how society affects them, so I can begin to have a more positive opinion of men in general (or at least not see them as inherently dangerous). This man gives me hope.

That ending = POWER MOVE *claps from now to infinity*

Louder for the people in the back! This video has so many good points that I can't even list them all.

Thank you for muting Benny at the end. That was a very thoughtful editing choice.

TL;DW: Chiwetel Ejiofor is a beautiful man who is sexy in a variety of roles.

Gender is a cultural construction. Always has been, always will be. And not all cultures use the binary, as many have what are called third genders. This gets to that without actually stating it.

I love all your videos. And as a mother of a transgender child, I think you handled this topic very well. :)

Femininity and masculinity definetly exist, but neither of them is inherently only for women or only for men. I personally like things that are neither feminine nor masculine (like science, astronomy and critical thinking) but I'm not non-binary or intersex.

Always appreciating solid research and well thought out arguments. Great content as per usual! Thanks for communicating progressive (although they shouldn’t be thought of as such) ideas and the concept of changing ones mind/belief/preconceived notions. Loved the video!

I have had to pause the video to go find and rent Children of Men. You have no idea how hard it is for me to wait to watch this video, but I shall do it because I’ve been wanting to see the movie for such a long time.

Mark my words comrade, You are going places.

12:56 YES I’m glad I’m not the only one that thinks the MGTOW movement is trash

Certainly one of the better youtube essays I have seen on RU-vid 😄

More movies to put on my "must watch"-list... I just wrote a long comment about my personal experience with and view of masculinity as a trans man, but it got way too long, so I gave up and deleted all of it. Well, anyway, great video! I'm not sure if you reached the intended audience, but you certainly reached this soyboy here :)

This video was awesome. I am physically what most people would call archetypical male: tall, lantern jawed, fit, deep voice, I have 'great big bushy beard'. But that is about it, I would definitely call myself feminist, I am vegan (love me some soybeans), detest sports, and not particularly competitive or at least overtly. I like wood-working and working on cars but my mother taught me to sew, and I love sewing. I would have used to say that it isn't very masculine to stand around and worry about how another man thinks of you. It doesn't seem very 'manly' to have your self-worth dependent upon what another person thinks of you. But now, I would say it is about being humanist. No man or woman should base their worth about how some rando thinks about you. And I am comfortable enough to say: yeah, you are a good looking guy.

There was not one single second of this video I didn't thoroughly enjoy or find extremely well-written and well-thought-out. Thank you so much.

Loved this video !!! Can I ask you to accept subtitles ? I'm French and would love to share those videos (especially to friends) but some have trouble with English! I'd love to help to translate ;)

It's sort of a sad fact of how masculinity is viewed that just by virtue of being someone with such open, public, non-toxic masculinity you're now my absolute favorite man. Thank you for this absolutely stellar video essay!

the long awaited chiwetel ejiofor appreciation video

"They're not the ones with psychosis, you are." Love it. Keep up the good work.

Pausing right now to watch Children Of Men. See you later! :D

I clicked this video to learn what your take on masculinity is and came out respecting Chiwetel Ejiofor even more. Wow. I stan one very versatile man.

you need to be considered a part of breadtube! this video is excellent!

This is one of my favorite videos on RU-vid. As a person with very little time to watch videos -- and practically no time to engage with them -- I watch everything at 2x speed. I want to hear video hosts talk quickly. It sounds weird to me to hear speech in this medium at a regular pace. It sounds like every syllable is drawn out needlessly. But with this video, it has to be regular speed for me, even over multiple viewings. There's so much to hear in this video. So much to absorb. So much value.

For me, masculine and feminine are not bad traits at all. Like the yin and yang, they compliment what we need. Now, whether it is a man who exhibits traditionally feminine traits such as being gentle, caring, and quiet, or the woman being assertive, in control, and violent... well, gender doesnt matter. Are you lit from the inside by fire or moonlight? Both are necessary, and both have their flaws. Femininity can be seen as being passive and weak, and masculinity as brash and unpleasant. Each person holds both of these aspects within, only to varying degrees.

Click-bate title: Hot feminist soy-boy talks about gender and recs all the movies you need to make it through the holiday season.

I liked this essay the first time I watched it, but over time I've come to realize that it's one of my all time favorites (up there with Who's Afraid of Modern Art and The Ethics of Satirizing Nazis). I love the idea of looking at different expressions of one gender identity through the lens of film. I love your unbelievably clean conclusion debunking bioessentialism. I love the excitement on your face when you don't want to give away the Chiwetel bit yet. So well-executed, and started a really productive conversation with my mom about sex vs gender.

Your videos are so helpful with my writing in terms of character development, I feel like you really get to the root of what makes a good character a good character while also relating it to real life situations making it so much easier to create a message and tone for anyone trying to make their own stories

The way I was so excited to find one of your videos that I haven't seen before!

“Come on you know I’m hot” made me actually giggle and look away. Gotta say, I hope it had the same effect on any rude commenters.

I wish I'd figured some of these things out earlier in life, but fairly early, in my 20's, I realized what a foolish game it was to be a ______. Don't be a ______. Be you, an individual. That's enough work.

I genuinely loved the thought and depth of the video! Please keep making more!

This video essay was well-thought, well-spoken, examples well-chosen, footage well-edited... absolutely fantastic work!

I feel like there's been a changing wind recently. I'm seeing more and more discussions about what is good and admirable in entertainment instead of always talking about what is bad and has to be banished. Over the last year, the discussion about fairness and equality in media seemed to have taken the form of insisting that everyone has to be the same, and looking down on people trying to do things that are different.

the last part made me feel so much better about myself. it’s so fucking comforting. i think you’re the only man i’d every truly trust. i want to be more like you and wish more were as open as you were!

The video paused and loaded at the EXACT instant you said to, at 3:36, and I just thought it was a really clever edit. I think it’s a sign that I should watch it

Love this video, my favourite on screen version of masculinity is Newt Scamander, I find movies where they stereotype characters according to gender, race or sexual orientation to be boring and derivative. Thank you :-)

I wanted to click “like” about 15 times during this video

I'm so glad that this vid's my introduction to your channel, I can't wait to do a binge of your content once my semester's ended

Oh man I’m so glad I stumbled upon your channel. I’m 3 minutes in and already can tell this is going to be very informative. Keep it up!

it's always a joy to see a notif for another one of your videos.

Smart, eloquent, feminist, AND loves Kinky Boots? I think I may have found my ideal man!

Was SO excited to see a new video from you and this exceeded every expectation. Thank you for making this!

This was spectacular. Thank you! glad to find you.

3:32 I actually did just that, paused the video and went to watch the film. Absolutely worth it. Great movie!

Great new video ~ Love it partially because the actor is amazing and half the movies you mentioned, I haven't seen yet and now I'm gonna watch them. But also, I was thinking how ContraPoints mentioned in a video about men how some might in fact need a sense of masculine identity. And how female feminists can't carve out a distinct, nontoxic masculinity for men even if we try. Because she believes this is something only dudes can do for themselves. I think this might be a good way to start--by critically analyzing who you're told to be and how those traits manifest, and what might be harmful or not. Maybe ContraPoints is wrong and boys don't really need a distinct sense of masculinity (just as girls don't *really* need to embrace femininity either). But if masculinity and femininity are in constant change and no trait is inherent to any gender, then whatever identities we carve out in the future, whether or not they're in any way related to sex or gender, being adaptable and open to change will make a difference in ensuring the toxicity is left behind. Also. I love the video's last line. Made me snap my fingers.

I could watch (and rewatch) your videos forever. They’re so well researched and thoughtful. Thank you thank you.

Bravo! On the basis of the prior videos of yours I've seen, I fully expected this to be interesting and informative... but this far exceeded my expectations. I hope this gets viewed tonnes more times; there are so many folks out there who would benefit from watching this. Keep up the great work!

Why have I never heard about "Kinky boots"? Sounds right up my alley. Thanks for discovering it to me!

Thank you for muting that part for us, you're a considerate person.

Really love the Bush intro! This was so well done. I'm never bored by your vids.

Came for the title. Stayed for the content and the host's dashing good looks.

Renegade Cut Pop Culture Detective coldcrashpictures The Holy Trinity I love your videos and i appreciate you so much for talking about these topics. Thank you!!!

**Me commenting to increase engagement so the algorithm spreads this**

I love this video - I’ve come back to it so many times.

Might be in love with this man. Imma binge the whole channel, so get back to me then, but things are looking good so far.

So glad this was recommended to me. Consider me subscribed comrade!

I have to react to the very end. "Yes. You're hot." I think there's still room to discuss physical/biological masculinity and how it interacts with gender. There are traits that are seen as good since they are 'masculine', deep voices and prominent jaws. But there are things that testosterone does that get overlooked and explained away. Testosterone makes people more emotional and impulsive - the opposite of stoic and determined. Masculine bodies are more likely to have ADHD, Tourette, and severe acne. Basically, traits that are considered 'good' get labelled as masculine - even when they are in contradiction to traits we know to be masculine. Men are supposed to be stoic even though testosterone heightens emotions. Men are supposed to be focused even though masculine brains are more easily distracted. There's the strange contradiction that masculine bodies are supposed to be muscular (high testosterone) but not hairy (also testosterone). Edited for a basic grammar mistake.

So glad I stumbled across your channel! I just subscribed!

I mean I KNEW I was in for a treat when I saw you uploaded a new video but HO HO was it just an entire cake's worth. Keep being amazing :D

"Come on, you know I'm hot." I don't deny your attractiveness, I'm just not into you in that way. Good video, by the way.