by Cadence McManimon
Contemporary America is hounded by terms like “toxic masculinity,” “the patriarchy,” and “the male gaze.” Men all over the nation—indeed, the world—are lambasted daily by derogatory, angry media seeking to devalue and wipe out their nature.
I have a message for you: Don’t listen to it. Masculine men are the very thing we need—now more than ever in the battle of traditionalism versus progressivism. Though the media has attacked the vital value of gender itself, we know they’re wrong. We know male and female is how we’re made. Even now, traditional femininity is making a huge comeback across the internet. And what do we as traditional women most need?
Masculine men.
Men can do so many things women cannot do, yet they are rarely granted the recognition of what their gender brings to the table. While I could point to the great warriors of history or the leaders of empires (and yes, of course, those men were great), I’d rather talk about the unsung heroes of everyday life: the great men all around us who are most needed. I’m not just talking about the “masculine” men who are firemen, soldiers, leaders, and warriors. I’m talking about the average, everyday Joes next door. Their presence and decisions enhance our lives every day in many ways.
One of the most obvious things men contribute is physical strength. I can’t overstate how much women need this! Men are built to be strong, and through caring for their bodies in nutrition and fitness, they can become a veritable force of nature. In fact, men’s inherent, natural strength saves lives. Take, for example, my parents’ neighbor. He had three little children, and his wife was expecting a fourth. He was a typical midwestern farmer, navigating life as usual between crops, animals, and kids.
But then, in the middle of the night, his house exploded in flames. His children were in various bedrooms, and his wife was choking on smoke. He dragged her out of the house along with the youngest daughter, and then he dove back into the raging fire to find his other daughters. They were unconscious and had already suffered burns. He put one under each arm, and by sheer force of will, he drove himself through the fire again and made it outside before the house collapsed. His daughters and wife would have died that night without his strength and bravery.
Another uniquely masculine trait women depend on is leadership, particularly in the context of traditional marriage. Wives face massive changes when they marry and go through pregnancy and childbirth. These new events are beautiful, vulnerable, and sometimes dangerous. But even then, men have the ability to shoulder heavy psychological burdens and take the lead.
For example, when I had my first pregnancy, I was extremely sick, and the weight of care rested on my husband’s shoulders. Sometimes I literally lost track of how many times he carried me into the emergency room and through hospitals. He also had to bear the emotional and spiritual burdens of making healthcare decisions for me and the baby.
Throughout this time, he shouldered his leadership with readiness and resolve. It was not the first trial he had endured with me, and his steadfastness during this time was the rock which kept me anchored. We came out on the other side with a healthy newborn.
Perhaps the most influential thing masculine men provide is security. Security comes through classic traits like strength, leadership, endurance, and protection. It is the fullness of masculinity. After all, security is not something a man does; it is something he is. Security is a steadfast father putting his children to bed every night for years on end, a priest offering services in a war-torn country, and the doctor on the night shift in the hospital. Security is a state of peace a man provides, because those around him know he is reliable, capable, and strong.
Because of this, security comes through the great leader of an empire as much as it does the farmer in the house fire or the husband in the delivery room. Good men offer security anywhere they go—simply by being good men!
So don’t listen to the propaganda. Truly masculine men can’t be brushed aside, and they are not just a “nice bonus” to marriages. At the end of the day, masculine men are indispensable to society. They are desperately needed by feminine women, and they are absolutely essential in winning today’s culture war.
Though contemporary influencers are striking hard at masculine men, they’re not delivering a killing blow. There are great men all around us who haven’t been shot down by all the negative media. These men continue to be exactly the strong leaders they are meant to be. Masculinity is still alive and well! And we need it more than ever.
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Cadence McManimon is a published author, former special education teacher, and now a wife and mother. She has too many houseplants, plenty of artsy projects, and not enough pens that work! (Doesn’t everyone?) Her novels Name Unspoken and The Lily Girl are available at her website cadencemcmanimon.com. Her favorite things include crayons, sarcasm, Sherlock Holmes, and hearing from readers!
