Masculinity is often described as having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, such as strength and boldness, but what if a man didn’t have the traditional qualities that are attributed to being male? Are they still masculine? I would think so, but bro-culture would tell me otherwise.
Guys are looking to hang on to their masculinity, but of course, they, like all humans, have emotions and personalities and hobbies. They want to try new things and explore activities that may teach them about themselves. It’s fun and probably good for them too.
Now, what if a guy wants to try something that’s traditionally feminine? Well, hang on to your balls, because now there’s a ridiculous amount of traditionally feminine activities made rugged to keep masculinity intact with all new names so the activity is the same, but it tells all that it is manly and for men.
Broga is a term I’ve heard a couple times, and it’s pretty much what it sounds like –yoga but for men. The Broga Facebook page is actually really well put together, with health for the mind and body positivity as its focus, articles about how yoga can help people and benefits for men specifically. It’s got uplifting vibes and a good atmosphere for bros who want to better themselves.
An article written by Reuters, an online business news source, earlier this year is, unfortunately, not the same. The tag line “more macho, less mantra” is not only disrespectful to the entire culture surrounding yoga and the lifestyle, but it’s harmful to men as well. Yoga is meditation in motion. Half of the practice is about the mind and soul. By taking that away, especially from men, it turns yoga into just another workout and defeats the purpose.
It goes on to explain men don’t want to partake in yoga because they would feel inept and wouldn’t want to try and touch their toes “next to a woman twisted like a pretzel.”
A quote from the article says he doesn’t want to embarrass himself doing something he’s not good at. It’s unfortunate that none of these men have ever heard of beginner classes, which women have attended at one point as well.
With this focus on strength over meditation, these bros will need something equally as manly to keep them going.
Brotein is a completely new word to me and also inspires the most contempt. Protein, in its raw form, is clearly too feminine for a dude-bro to consume without adding a power-packed punch of facial hair and testosterone.
When I first heard this I had assumed it was a joke. It isn’t, but it also isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Brotein has become a trademark and makes energy bars for working out, and they even have some really good causes, including a bra crawl and breast cancer walks, both of which are geared towards raising money and awareness for breast cancer. They also have a blog dedicated to teaching bros about working out and getting big and buff the healthy way.
The only part of bro-culture that is without its saving grace is one that men kind of partake in anyway: drinking wine.
Brosé is one of the more recent trends, and it is simply Rosé wine with a ‘B’ in front of it, so now men can safely drink pink without fear of being called girly. It’s fine now. The word has “bro” in it; all men are safe from the pink, French wine.
One man quoted in Details actually described himself as an equal opportunity Rosé drinker because men drinking pink liquid is a bold and daring move, like wearing pink t-shirts in 2006.
One quote even likened drinking rosé to online dating, saying it’s welcomed now instead of shunned.
An article in the British newspaper The Guardian, written by Jason Wilson, had a different approach. His witty and dryly sarcastic article pointed out that drinking pink alcohol was not going to change a man’s anatomy or sexual preference.
“Is contemporary masculinity so wracked by crisis that men need constant reassurances to try things they might like, or to continue enjoying simple pleasures?” Wilson wrote.
And he’s completely right. There is no point to bro-culture. There are some benefits, but there is no harm in taking pleasure in activities that are traditionally feminine.
We’re the generation that tossed tradition out the window anyway. Embrace all of your traits and move forward with the rest of the world.
Email Amanda Little at amanda.little@cardinalpointsonline.com
