[developer93]

This is not what toxic masculinity means. It's not saying masculinity is toxic, toxic is a qualifier not a description. It's used to talk about those attitudes which are ascribed by some people to be super masculine, but actually are just unhealthy (like hyper aggression, or the idea, ironically, that men shouldn't ask for help or complain about anything)

[TheAdamAndChe]

The way you phrase a word affects its interpretation. Imagine for a minute if the term "neurotic feminity" was a common thing, and described how anxiety, depression, and other negative aspects of stereotypically female behavior are actually just unhealthy. People would be upset because the phrasing implies that feminity itself is bad, which is wrong.

[developer93]

It really doesn't: do you think that saying small houses or purple birds implies that all houses are small or all birds are purple?

[grammarnazzzi]

The term "toxic masculinity" creates a subliminal negative association between "male" and "toxicity".

Although you can rationalize the association away, it still exists and influences listeners. It's marketing against men.

If you really wanted to address issues with hyper-agression, you would use the term "hyper-agression", which is gender-neutral.

If you really wanted to address the consequence of not asking for help or compaining, you would perhaps use the term "stoicism", which is gender-neutral.

If you really wanted to address people overly affected by irrational fears, you would use the term "neuroticism", rather than "toxic femininity"

[developer93]

I think it's also been promoted like that as a straw man by vested interests. Like I said in another comment outrage sells wat better than assuming the best.

All these traits together are a subset of those denoted by "masculinity". I would not have a problem with toxic femininity being used in the same context, for example to describe the idea that a woman shouldn't earn her own way, or that one should manipulate men to get ahead or whatever else.

For the record I'd be far happier if the concepts of masculinity and femininity didn't exist at all, I think it just puts us in boxes and makes us insecure, but unfortunately they do.

[FooBarBizBazz]

Your word "marketing" here represents a good insight.

[developer93]

And it's also wrong. With no other phrase that I can think of does that apply. Yellow birds, American presidents, main road, farmer's field, tall tree.