Dusty Wentworth

In a world grappling with rapidly evolving gender roles and societal expectations, what does it truly mean to be a man today? Beneath the surface of contemporary discussions about masculinity, a complex web of challenges is impacting men, often silently, and reshaping their experiences. Far from being a monolithic concept, modern masculinity is navigating pressures from cultural norms, media representations, and shifting social landscapes. Let’s delve into some critical issues currently impacting men and the broader conversation around manhood: The Insidious Grip of "Lad Culture" in Universities Often dismissed as nothing more than harmless banter, "lad culture" within university environments is, in reality, a deeply problematic phenomenon. Recent analyses reveal that this culture is underpinned by attitudes that trivialise consent, devalue emotional intelligence, and aggressively promote performative bravado. A 2023 report by the Higher Education Policy...

Introduction: The Forgotten Narrative In the decades following World War II, society began rewriting the role of women with energy, clarity, and purpose. Women were encouraged to express emotion, pursue education, enter the workforce, and challenge tradition. And rightly so. But while we updated the story of womanhood, we failed to rewrite the story of man. To understand why that matters, we must first recognise that masculinity itself is not a biological law—but a cultural narrative. It’s a socially constructed script—shaped by folklore, religion, policy, media, and need. Masculinity has always been moulded by what a society demands of its men at a given moment: protectors in war, providers in peace, stoics in crisis. In essence, masculinity is a kind of cultural folk tale—handed down from generation to generation—not just to define men, but to produce the kind of men society believes it needs. This concept is well supported in academic literature. Sociologist R. W. Connel...