My favorite idea that I have come across so far in my thinking is the changing ideas surrounding toxic masculinity and the potential to decrease male suicide and decrease gender violence in different regions of the world where these issues are especially pronounced by changing the definition of masculinity. This was one of my favorite ideas and an idea that I think would be really enjoyable for me to research for several reasons. The first being that, two years ago in my 11th grade English class, I had a teacher who was heavily focused on the concept of toxic masculinity and the effects it had on him growing up. He often talked with the male students in our class on how we felt it affected us in our day-to-day lives and this is an idea that has become really meaningful to me lately as I have begun to journey out on my own in college.
I have seen many family members and friends struggle with severe depression, anger, and anxiety due to their own definition of who they thought were supposed to be and because they felt that they could not get help from anyone because boys are supposed to be able to handle their emotions on their own. This is a societal expectation that has been around forever and is slowly beginning to change.
Through my research and my paper I want to analyze why and how the definition of masculinity is beginning to change and the ideological and theoretical affects it will have on society if the shift fully occurs and is successful. I will look at the role of the media and education on this shift.
While I am not sure this is 100% the direction I will take with my paper or with this idea, this is my favorite idea so far and one that I am really passionate about.
I love this idea because I think it is an important issue that needs to be addressed. We often focus on how patriarchy harms women, but in reality patriarchy harms everyone including men. Strict gender expectations have negatively impacted men’s mental health, but the notion that we feel emotions not because of our gender but because we are human is generally gaining more acceptance. For this project, it is important to choose a topic that you are passionate about because we will be doing a lot of research and something that can be explored in various ways. Your topic clearly meets those factors so I really think this topic would be great for your assignment.
Your idea for your paradigm shift is amazing! I feel as though people in this country definitely brush aside male depression and male suicide. We definitely need to bring to light that males go through problems, and they have emotions too. They should not have to feel the need to bottle up everything inside of them. I really do not know how male depression, suicide, and talks about their emotions have changed throughout the years. You researching about this would help bring attention to it, even if only our small class are the only people who read your essay and watch your TED talk.