The concept of masculinity has a wide array of meanings, many from a more primitive era and then some from today; a more civilized era. Masculinity represents a made-up concept by society to be able to label males, and other genders, into a sort of stereotype or characterization. The stereotype of masculinity means being more expressive towards male likes and ideologies. The word can come off as rough and masculine and a masculine person is often seen as cold or emotionless unless that emotion is anger. Anger is an emotion that is commonly associated with men and masculinity due to its harsh nature and emotion, so generally angry people come off as more masculine than someone peaceful.
Nevertheless, masculinity is not just a word that means rough and tough- masculinity can be gentle, soft, and tender too. A masculine-presenting person can be sweet and caring and they can still be considered masculine even then. Being masculine does not mean that the person can’t express their feelings or emotions, but it does not make anyone less masculine to cry or express their joy or excitement towards a topic/event that they enjoy(ed). Additionally, it does not make anyone less masculine by the way they look outwardly, their clothing style, what they do in their free time, or what they’re interested in.
Consequently, the stigma of masculinity has, for centuries, been seen as a tough, emotionless ruling archetype that has to be strong and stoic. Even so, in the past 50 years, the concept of masculinity has shifted and altered itself to be that not only can men be masculine, but women and other genders who wish to express themselves that way can too. The progression of masculinity has had a positive impact on society. This progression has helped and is helping men no longer feel they need to bottle all their emotions and can express themselves more freely. Although society still has much more progress to be made, masculinity can be a wonderful quality that anyone can express and be in this world, and it should not limit anyone to a certain style of living.