There's a crisis in masculinity, particularly in service-led western economies. Late stage capitalism doesn't have a clearly defined role for males. The image of a gruff beer-lad footie fan; the manual family bread winner; it no longer relevant or compatible in the time we're in. There's little opportunity for expression; society is struggling to figure out the 'third spaces' that replace pubs and sports clubs. There's a mental health crisis amongst males. They're defensively edgy because the alternative is poked fun at. It's a societal gender-norm dogma that needs demolishing. I think progress is being made, but it's slow.

The context for this was how boring men's fashion is. How every single store is 90% women's fashion and 10% men's section is various cargo pants and shades of beige plus some lumberjack shirts.

The way men are forced to express themselves, not allowed to being very physical/touchy, not allowed to have emotions, etc etc. These things are no longer offset by the previous benefits of patriarchy they had, which made up for them.

One of the ways this contradiction is resolving itself is the emergence of "feminine" men through femboys and the like. But it's slow moving and I'd like to see it transition to just an outright normalisation of more creative fashion, more emotions and more touchy without the overt sexualisation involved or the dodgy age-based aesthetic (there's no old femboys).