As someone who studies masculinities for a living, I know that we are living in a time of contradiction.

On the one hand, there are those who argue that masculinity has become more inclusive in recent years. This means that men are becoming less homophobic, more emotionally open and touchy-feely with each other, with softer codes governing their behaviour. On the other hand, there’s the camp that I’m in, which is sceptical of these kinds of claims.

While it’s true that men aren’t bound by the same set of social rules that they were a generation ago, those who’ve been paying attention to social and political trends in recent years may have noticed worrying trends. Anyone who’s seen Adolescence or heard of Andrew Tate may not automatically........

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