By: Madeline Jenkins
Dear men, I am sorry. The pendulum has swung too far and you are blamed for, or excluded from, most of our modern society. From “men created unattainable beauty standards” to “it is so hard to be a woman” and “toxic masculinity,” modern American culture is run by the girls, often at the expense of you.
Dear men, I am sorry. Pleading our underpaid or strictly housewife days of insufficient political rights from over a century ago to be justification of our modern actions, meanwhile you were being drafted into restless nights, rapid fire, and PTSD which would carry you to the grave. I would argue that’s a fair – if not more than – trade for women. Of course women deserve political rights no less than men, but that century old issue cannot be used in modern feminist arguments.
Dear men, I am sorry. You are blamed for the pain we put ourselves through. Society has stuck to the accusation that you are the basis for unattainable beauty standards (while we simultaneously claim we “don’t do it for men, we do it for ourselves”). From my limited personal experience, I have seen girls tearing down girls more than the boys tearing down girls. If I were to get work done it would be because of other women. From the female-run beauty industry to Instagram models to Pinterest boards and mean girls, you are not to blame.
Dear men, I am sorry. The modern American education system has chosen its side. With the “boy crisis” being made more and more apparent, there’s no denying the favor our school system has towards girls. Boys and girls have very similar IQ results, yet girls are much more academically successful. Males and females are different, which is okay, and shouldn’t be ignored. In trying to create equal opportunity for both genders, we have wrongly put them both into the same box, when each has their own separate needs. Toxic feminism has put them both into the system scientifically better fit for girls. The male prefrontal cortex develops a couple years behind that of females, yet education is grouped by age – not psychological development. Boys have smaller hippocampus, making it harder for them to memorize, and less oxytocin, meaning they are biologically less motivated in an academic setting. Schools ignore the academic gender gap, only keeping it at the female pace. It is no surprise that boys represent 80% of dropouts.
Dear men, I am sorry. When men sexualize us it is considered wrong, but when we do it to ourselves it is “empowering.” Yes – men often over sexualize women. Yes – it is wrong. BUT it is also wrong for women to purposely sexualize themselves (one example is most of the porn industry being women) and then attack men when they go along with it. If we want equality we have to end the double standards.
Dear men, I am sorry. Endless shots were fired from the number one movie of 2023. With Barbie came two hours of exclusively dull-witted male characters, and the nonsense of “women hate women, and men hate women. It’s the one thing we all agree on.” Women love women, and society loves women; the statement that “it is literally impossible to be a woman” does not apply to today’s culture in America. And while many aspects of modern life do make it near “impossible,” men are not to blame. While womanhood is hard, it isn’t inherently harder than that of men. With the ideology of “toxic masculinity” flooding the media, and the trendy condescending nickname of “baby girl”, men will never be enough in our modern culture. I am at least glad to see many of you finding joy in proudly taking on the role of Ken, and not taking any of the passive hate to heart. You are Kenough.
Sources:
Newhook, Joshua. “America’s Public Education System Favors Women.” Hillsdale Collegian, 12 July 2022, hillsdalecollegian.com/2021/03/americas-public-education-system-favors-women/.
“Why so Many Male Students Are Falling behind in School.” Army and Navy Academy, 15 Feb. 2022, http://www.armyandnavyacademy.org/blog/why-so-many-male-students-are-falling-behind-in-school/.
