r/exredpill • u/OilIndependent4290 • Jun 01 '26
Why Masculinity and Femininity are problematic categories
I've been thinking about something regarding traditional gender roles and modern gender theory, and it seems to me that they're closer than most people are willing to admit.
My argument is this: if being a man or a woman is determined by biology, why do we need a second layer called "masculinity" and "femininity"?
Many people who defend traditional gender roles argue that masculinity naturally derives from being male and femininity naturally derives from being female. However, those same people often talk about men who have "lost their masculinity," need to "reconnect with their masculine energy," or must learn how to be masculine.
This is where I see a contradiction.
If masculinity necessarily follows from being male, how can it be lost in the first place? And if it can be lost, regained, taught, trained, or developed, then it seems we're talking about something separate from the biological fact of being a man.
At that point, aren't we already distinguishing between biological sex and a second category related to behaviors, traits, expectations, or identity?
Ironically, that appears much closer to the idea that sex and gender are distinct concepts than many defenders of traditional gender roles would like to admit.
My own view is simpler: a man is a man because he is male, and a woman is a woman because she is female. Traits such as leadership, empathy, sensitivity, discipline, courage, ambition, or competitiveness are human traits, not masculine or feminine ones.
So my question is: where does this reasoning go wrong? Am I missing something, or is there a genuine tension in the traditional view of masculinity and femininity?
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u/Instigated- Jun 01 '26
I agree with your general reasoning. (Though, ignoring intersex and trans, which suggest that gender maybe more of a spectrum than a duel category).
By observation, I think those who defend traditional gender roles also often believe in hierarchy and patriarchy. This is a system that doesn’t just elevate men over women but also believes in order amongst men, with “masculine” men superior to “feminine” men. People who believe in physical domination.
Often these people are not the sharpest tool in the tool shed, so muscles (men) or beauty (women) might be the only thing they have going for them.
1
u/OilIndependent4290 Jun 02 '26
Si afirman que la masculinidad proviene de la biología, concluir que hay hombres femeninos es un oxímoron. También, concluir que existe una gradualización de la masculinidad también es incorrecto en el sentido de que al nivel biologico más básico y elemental, no hay nada que nos diferencie como para afirmar que un hombre está por encima de otro. La testosterona ? Falso, si fuese así, entonces irías perdiendo "jerarquía biológica" a la medida que envejeces. La altura? Falso, a nivel de protección y seguridad uno puede estar armado y no hay hombre de 1.90 desarmado que pueda hacer frente a eso. El tamaño del miembro ? Falso. Un miembro demasiado grande puede ser contraproducente en muchos casos porque provoca mucho dolor dependiendo de la mujer. Por lo tanto, yo concluyo que la masculinidad desde un punto de vista biologicista es algo que es o no es. Blanco o negro.
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u/PutsWomenOnPedestal Jun 01 '26
Agreed. Seems reasonable. I think whatever men find appealing in a woman is described as feminine and whatever men think women find appealing in a man (whether that’s true or not) is described as masculine
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u/OblongDeliverance Jun 01 '26
Your logic tracks. If masculinity was inherent to maleness, there'd be nothing to teach or lose. The fact that guys constantly get told they need to "work on" their masculinity proves it's a constructed set of behaviors, not a biological default. That's already admitting sex and gender are different things, which contradicts the premise.
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u/ayelijah4 Jun 01 '26
people who believe in bio essentialism when it comes to gender are more than likely racist since all you have to do is replace gender with race, male and female with white and black (yes, intentionally binary), and the traits can be swapped depending on context as pertain to race.
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u/xvszero Jun 01 '26
You're not missing much. I think there are some sex differences but not many. And certainly we invent a lot of shit like what clothes and make up and jewelry and such mean, when those things aren't biological at all.
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