What Is Toxic Masculinity? Toxic masculinity is an attitude or set of social guidelines stereotypically associated with manliness that often have a negative impact on men, women, and society in general. The term "toxic masculinity" isn’t meant to imply that the idea of masculinity in itself is inherently bad. Instead, it’s meant to point out that certain behaviors and ways of thinking often associated with masculinity, from mental and physical toughness to sexism and homophobia, have a negative and often dangerous impact on the world. While you may think of the term “toxic masculinity” as a modern buzzword, it’s been around for several decades. The term originally came about during the late 20th century men’s movements to describe narrow ideas of masculinity that were holding men back instead of empowering them. They considered toxic masculinity a characteristic of immature men who had not yet found their deep, spiritual masculinity. This men’s movement sought: To increas...