Masculinity Isn’t Under Attack. Fake Masculinity Is Just Being Exposed.

Thoughts as a straight, single, sometimes conservative male.

M.S. Lane
4 min readNov 3, 2022
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Rebecca Christiansen recently wrote a great Twitter thread on male loneliness.

“Women’s standards have changed a lot now that… a relationship is more of a luxury good than a necessity, financially speaking,” she says.

“If the roof over my head and the food in my belly aren’t on the line, I can afford to ask for more. “More” meaning no abuse, no controlling behaviour, appreciation, sexual generosity, parenting skills, help with household chores. I don’t have to settle.”

As a straight, single male, I think this is great. Women being able to achieve financial independence is one of the positives of capitalism.

I also understand why some men might see this as a threat. But to my fellow men, let me explain why it’s not.

Defining True Masculinity

One example of masculinity I’ve seen both men and women agree on is Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. Google “aragorn and masculinity” and you’ll find plenty of character studies.

What makes Aragorn so appealing? First, he has all the stereotypical masculine traits. He’s physically strong, is…

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M.S. Lane

Editor @ Fortune 500 company by day. Used to write about personal finance. Now I just write about what I find interesting at the moment.