On “Positive Masculinity”

Does Tim Walz represent a new “enlightened archetype” of men?

Newsweek published “Tim Walz, the Kelce Brothers and a New Era of ‘Positive Masculinity’”:

Many know the term “toxic masculinity” and think of the overly dominant, often aggressive personality that shapes the discourse… But now, it seems as though we’re headed toward a softer kind of masculinity, with politicians talking about fertility, football players dancing to Taylor Swift and a renowned Paralympic athlete cheering on his wife as she won Olympic gold.

[Positive masculinity] is thought to have been co-created in the early 2000s by Matt Englar-Carlson, founder and director of the Center for Boys and Men at California State University, Fullerton. He told Newsweek that the idea “creates space to realize that there’s multiple ways to be a man.”

I looked up Englar-Carlson and found him speaking in a webinar called “Introducing Positive Masculinity.” It was led by Dr. Ray Swann, host of something called, no kidding, the Understanding Boys podcast. Take down those Scarface posters; here’s your introduction to the new masculine ideal: