The concept of "masculinity" is changing

"If feminism was the great revolution of the 20th century, the transformation of men could be one of the most important social revolutions of the 21st century." This quote comes from Victoria Sau (1930-2013), a Catalan psychologist and writer and a leading figure of feminism in Spain. In his book *The Reinvention of Masculinity: Men and Feminism* , Spanish author Josep M. Armengol uses this idea to launch a work that challenges centuries of gender norms.

With a degree in English Philology and a professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Armengol is an active voice in the critical study of masculinities—in the plural, as he emphasizes. For the author, changing the definition of "being a man" is not only a matter of social justice, but a concrete opportunity to improve the lives of all.

The work, which has just arrived in Portugal through Tinta-da-China, begins with an observation: for decades, dominant masculinity was built on exclusion, an identity defined more by what it rejects than by what it proposes. This model, Armengol argues, is not only limiting but harmful. From the refusal to seek medical care to emotional repression, from adherence to anti-gender equality discourses to the belief in a "war between men and women," the author establishes a connection between the idea of a "standard masculinity" and direct impacts on men's physical, mental, and political health.

In an interview with Observador via Zoom, Armengol is optimistic. Redefining masculinity can benefit everyone, he emphasizes. The answer lies in pluralizing masculinities, freeing them from the logic of exclusion, and integrating them into the feminist project. "There is much to be gained if men relax their gender definitions," he reinforces, at a time when far-right rhetoric portraying feminism as a threat is growing in Europe. Therefore, he emphasizes, full equality will be impossible "without men's involvement in the feminist cause."

Book

In the very first pages, he argues that "being a man is not a unitary concept." To what extent is it important to speak in the plural, in so-called "masculinities"? For many years, masculinity was understood as a monolithic concept. People spoke of masculinity in the singular because there was a single hegemonic model of masculinity: the white, heterosexual, middle-class man. This was considered the universal concept; it was "the" model of masculinity. This implied that this model was taken as the norm, as the paradigm of masculinity. So all models of masculinity were rendered invisible. I'm talking about racialized, homosexual, or working-class masculinities. The Western, white, middle-class, heterosexual model was considered the paradigm of masculinity. But in reality, this model used other models to reaffirm itself. Basically, the definition of "Masculinity," capitalized and singular, was based on negation. It was a negative definition. Being a man meant not being a woman, not being gay, and not being racialized. Therefore, the construction of masculinity was based on the exclusion of other models of masculinity. Since the 1980s, thanks to intersectional feminism, Black feminism, etc., people realized for the first time that white heterosexual masculinity was just one model of masculinity, but not the only one. Since then, there has been a growing number of definitions of masculinity that include people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, the working class, etc. That's why we now speak of masculinities in the plural.

You mentioned the importance of feminism in this reinvention of masculinities. In this book, you write: "The question is not only what privileges men must give up in the name of feminism, but also what we can gain." What concrete gains are there for men in engaging in the feminist debate? It's a great question. For many men today, there's an anti-gender ideology in Europe, and it's growing. All the far-right discourse talks about women and feminism as the enemy. They say they're trying to steal men's rights and that men are the new victims of feminism. They say there's a war between men and women. Basically, the idea I wanted to argue in the book is that traditionally, men have thought of feminism as something that works against them, that tries to take away their privileges. But what I argue is that there are certain privileges that men have to give up in the name of equality, based on an ethical imperative, the right that equality is necessary and fair. It's not a question of wanting to; it's that they have to give up certain privileges in the name of equality. The problem is that this isn't very convincing to men, who interpret it as losing privileges and therefore that feminism is negative for them. But what I argue in the book is that there's also much they can gain by embracing feminism.

As? The very definition of masculinity is very negative, it is based on the denial that being a man is not being a woman, not being seen as feminine, not being seen as gay…

We still say “a man doesn’t cry.” Exactly. We say the same thing in Spain: " a man doesn't cry ." This is obviously very negative for men themselves, who are not allowed to express emotions. Any sign of vulnerability, any sign of emotion, is seen as feminine and therefore something that must be suppressed because being feminine is inferior, according to traditional, patriarchal definitions of masculinity. Obviously, this causes all sorts of psychological problems, mental health issues. Another example is the feeling of competition: men must constantly compete against others, especially to show that they are "real men," that they are not "like women," that they are superior. This puts a lot of pressure on men. We know, for example, that the average life expectancy is lower than that of women by an average of 10 years. We know that this definition of masculinity—self-sufficient, individualistic, autonomous, and non-dependent—causes men to go to the doctor for check-ups much less often. All of this is affecting their physical and mental health. This prevents them from having a more fulfilling life as human beings, not just as men. Emotional repression takes its toll both physically and emotionally. Changing the definition of masculinity, embracing equality and feminism, makes men better people, better husbands, and better partners. There is much to be gained if men relax these gender definitions.