In December 2020, famous singer-songwriter Harry Styles modeled in a dress for the front cover of Vogue Magazine. It created an uproar and generated a plethora of mixed opinions and clearly divided people on Twitter. Many say that it is “unmanly” for a guy to wear a dress and made homophobic remarks about it, in which case they say it is only for women. The side just explained emerges from people who still have fixed mindsets of how masculinity should be portrayed, and that it is not right for him to do so. The toxic masculinity that is still prominent on social media shows that society still has a way to go to be understanding of others.
In our new generation, K-pop has emerged like a storm and spread to many other countries internationally. Big groups such as BTS and NCT have gotten lots of attention in North America for their pop music. However, many people with conservative mindsets about how men should appear, and act spread their hate towards these K-pop groups for the way they dress and look. These idols wear makeup, “less manly” clothing and show their emotions in front of their fans. There is nothing wrong with a man wearing makeup, nor wearing feminine clothing like skirts and jewelry. The toxic masculinity and homophobia that is thrown at them just for expressing themselves and breaking gender norms show the insecurity others feel when confronted with a change or something unconventional.
In Korean culture, it is normal for a guy to wear makeup and look prettier than your average Western man. Guys can have feminine features and many guy K-pop idols who show cute expressions act “girly-er” in front of the public. Many people emote hate towards these idols due to the outfits they wear because they say they are for girls. These include crop tops, skinny jeans, accessories such as earrings and necklaces, and rings. Though it is quite different from how other cultures portray men, we should not have specific rules of how they can act.
Bottle it in, they say. Do not show your emotions.
Guys are told this by their peers because of the unmanliness they show towards others. Instead of showing that he is “weak” when he cries, men are told to keep it in and not reveal any feminine qualities. Being able to express your feelings and true emotions is not feminine, it is being human. Due to these hidden “rules'' a man must follow; it can affect them in the long term when they do not know how to show their true feelings or cope with them. The line between being masculine and feminine is quite controversial because of how others interpret it. There is nothing a person cannot do. If a man wants to paint his nails or if a woman wants to buzz her hair, they are the same person. If a man shows a “feminine” quality such as his body language, he will automatically be called “gay” or the f slur for how he expresses himself. It is not only rude but also assuming that person's sexual orientation with just assumptions.
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