March Issue v

Photography by Melody Hao ‘22
Graphics and design by Sophie Cai ‘22
opinion 3
The misunderstood impact of
toxic femininity
By AUBYN MACKEY ‘24
Toxic masculinity is a common
term in the twenty-first century,
but what about the other side
of the story: toxic femininity?
The New York Times describes toxic
masculinity: “Toxic masculinity is what
can come of teaching boys that they can’t
express emotion openly; that they have
to be ‘tough all the time’; that anything
other than that makes them ‘feminine’
or weak.” This term initially represented
qualities that men wanted to embody, but
now people understand its harmful nature.
When Baldwin students were
asked what toxic femininity was,
many had never heard of the phrase.
When we hear the word “toxic,”
we automatically think of women’s
negative attitudes towards men,
even relating it to females gaining equal
rights or more power. However, the
phrase “toxic femininity” refers to the
balance of stereotypes we face daily.
Urban Dictionary describes “toxic
femininity” as “the phenomenon of women
trying to emphasize the traits of empathy,
sensitivity, patience, tenderness.”
Toxic femininity and toxic masculinity
are concepts derived from patriarchal
assumptions. Toxic femininity describes
the professional, personal, and societal
limitations women face in life while toxic
masculinity pushes men to be emotionless
and work with force and power; these
two terms isolate women and men on opposite
sides of the emotional spectrum.
Toxic femininity is particularly
present in politics. For example, the first
female Vice president was not elected
until 2020 because of the traditional soci-
etal belief that women should stay home
rather than pursue a successful career.
Additionally, the CNN report
on Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s attempted
kidnapping for her stance on
the election is a clear demonstration
of how women are physically threatened
for holding positions of power.
Another example is Donald Trump’s
statement: “We’re getting your husband’s
back to work soon,” written in USA Today.
These examples reinforce the belief
that women should stay at home and
care for their husbands and children.
The idea that women belong only in
the home belittles women who have higher
aspirations for academic or professional
success. All people who believe that
women should stay home without jobs
want to reinforce the value of empathy,
patience, and sensitivity for the pure purpose
of pleasing others. They also pressure
others to adhere to these guidelines
without thinking of the women worldwide
fighting for more opportunities.
We know of the efforts to end toxic
masculinity. Moreover, we should also be
aware of toxic femininity and how we can
use the confidence we’ve gained from our
Baldwin education to overcome obstacles.
Women are stepping up to positions
of power and defying stereotypes
every day to combat toxic femininity.
Toxic femininity may be an issue in our
future, and we must be prepared to fight
these limitations with our life choices.
We possess the knowledge and capabilities
to enact change; we just have to have the
confidence to push the female role beyond
one that “requires” male accompaniment.
8 Facts About Feminism
according to dosomething.org and Pew Research Center
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Feminism is defined as the belief in the social, political,
and economic equality of the sexes.
The goal of feminism is to challenge the
systemic inequalities women face on a daily basis.
Contrary to popular belief, feminism has nothing to do with
belittling men; in fact, feminism does not support sexism against
either gender. Feminism works towards equality, not female superiority.
Feminists respect individual, informed choices and
believe there shouldn’t be a double standard in judging a person.
Women earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Only 27% of the seats in Congress are held by women.
Although 48% of law school graduates and 45% of law firm associates are female, women
make up only 22% of federal-level and 26% of state-level judgeships.
Even in the 10 top paying jobs for women, females earn less
than men;only one career, speech pathology, pays the same regardless of gender.
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