As a straight, intentionally childless, cat-less, postmenopausal woman, I take great pride in my identity. I am an unaffiliated voter who not only embraces my Black heritage but also values and cherishes the diversity within my family. This diversity includes members who identify as Latino, Asiatic, Puerto Rican, White, and LGBTQ+.
Given the current climate of the #MeToo movement, the incel rebellion in Charlottesville, ongoing culture wars, frequent school shootings, and the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, I have become especially fatigued and disheartened by the gender wars.
Toxic femininity is just as problematic as toxic masculinity. They are two sides of the same coin. There is a term that represents both gender toxicity.
Gender toxicity refers to damaging behaviors, attitudes, and societal norms that contribute to discrimination, inequality, and violence based on gender. Examples include criticizing individuals’ appearance, clothing choices, or body types, promoting unrealistic beauty standards, and perpetuating sexist attitudes and actions. It involves pressuring people to conform to traditional gender roles and disparaging those who defy social expectations, whether it’s women who choose not to have children or pursue careers or men who stay at home with the kids or work in fields often associated with women, such as nursing, teaching young children, or cosmetology.
Amidst the current presidential race in the U.S., where gender roles and eq.