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What A Feminist Has To Say About Masculinity - Christine Emba

Christine Emba is an opinion columnist at The Washington Post, journalist, social commentator, and an author. Christine wrote one of the best articles on modern masculinity that I've ever read and it absolutely broke the internet. But it begs the question of why it's come down to a woman to raise the topic of men's issues. Expect to learn why making men and women equal is good but overreaching into making men and women the same is terrible, whether Christine thinks it is harder to be a man in 2023, the biggest issues that boys & men are facing, why it is women who are dominating the narrative on what it means to be masculine, why the only "non-toxic" suggestions for masculinity just look a lot like traditional femininity and much more... Sponsors: Get $150/£150 discount on the Eight Sleep Pod Cover at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first box at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout) Get 10% discount on Marek Health’s comprehensive blood panels at https://marekhealth.com/modernwisdom (use code: MODERNWISDOM) Extra Stuff: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #masculinity #feminism #men - 00:00 Christine’s Controversial Article 02:31 What is Happening to Men Today? 09:54 The Term ‘Toxic Masculinity’ 16:39 The Failings of Modern Feminism 22:20 Why the Right Adopted Men’s Issues 25:20 Why Male Issues are Represented by Women in Mainstream Media 30:54 Are Conservative Men Are More Attractive? 37:16 Why the Left Are Ignoring Men 46:17 Recognising Female Success & De-gendering Male Success 52:32 Is the Masculinity Crisis Impacted by Absent Fathers? 1:00:43 The Need for Single-Sex Spaces for Male Bonding 1:09:05 Who is Trying to Provide a Solution for Men? 1:20:56 Has the Left Criticised Christine? 1:26:03 Where to Find Christine - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostChristine Embaguest
Aug 7, 20231h 26mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Feminist Writer Explains Why Men Are Lost And What’s Missing

  1. Christine Emba discusses her viral Washington Post article, arguing that there is a real crisis in masculinity driven by economic shifts, cultural confusion about gender, and a lack of positive male role models.
  2. She and Chris Williamson outline how structural disadvantages in education and work, plus a cultural narrative that frames masculinity as toxic, have left many young men feeling dispossessed and unheard.
  3. They criticize both modern feminism’s excesses and the progressive reluctance to advocate for men, noting that this vacuum has been filled by controversial figures like Andrew Tate and parts of the manosphere.
  4. The conversation ends by stressing the need for clear, aspirational, non‑toxic models of manhood, more male mentorship, and the courage to talk about male problems without shaming men for having them.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Male malaise is rooted in real structural changes, not just feelings.

A shift from a brawn-based to a credential-heavy, soft-skill economy, combined with male underperformance in education and stagnating wages, has left many especially working‑class men struggling to find a clear role.

Constantly branding masculinity as “toxic” makes men exit the conversation.

Starting discussions with terms like “toxic masculinity” signals to many men that a core part of who they are is inherently bad, leading them to disengage instead of listening or changing.

There is a vacuum of positive, culturally sanctioned male role models.

Boys are heavily exposed to either mocking male archetypes (e.g., the lazy sitcom dad) or extreme online influencers; in the absence of respected alternatives, problematic figures become attractive by default.

Fathers and older men are crucial to raising well-adjusted boys.

Data on fatherless households and neighborhood “father presence” show boys’ outcomes improve markedly when they have engaged male role models, suggesting older men must actively mentor the next generation.

Progressives hurt their own goals by refusing to ‘sell’ men a better ideal.

By critiquing figures like Andrew Tate without offering compelling, aspirational models of manhood, the left leaves the field to the very influencers it dislikes, ensuring they keep their cultural power.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

In the fight between something and nothing, something is always going to win.

— Christine Emba

Many young men feel their difficulties are often dismissed out of hand as whining from a patriarchy that they don’t feel a part of.

— Christine Emba

Modern feminism told women that true freedom was achieved by working like your father and having sex like your brother.

— Chris Williamson

If you do not like the current role models that are being put up for men, you need to offer them something else.

— Chris Williamson

A good man is a good thing, and you can do that. Go do that.

— Christine Emba

The contemporary “crisis of masculinity” and why men feel lostEconomic and educational changes disadvantaging boys and menCultural narratives: “toxic masculinity,” feminism, and gender neutralityRole models, the manosphere, and why bad actors fill the vacuumSingle-parent households, fatherlessness, and male developmentThe difficulty of defining ‘good masculinity’ without excluding anyoneMedia, politics, and the reluctance to openly advocate for men

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