I think a lot of us struggle with masculinity because we are bombarded by it constantly in society and in many of our cultural practices. I don’t know about you, but I grew up with a lot of internalized sexism as ideas of being “girly” were frivolous and weak while being a “tomboy” was supposedly what made young girls more interesting (ugh) so I like many women grew up rejecting femininity in ourselves. Now we are trying to course correct and celebrate the feminine (yay) and how that can exist in all people… but maybe some of us over correct? I definitely have a complicated relationship with men in my life and how they use their masculinity to control and subject others to their will. So I struggle too, but I try to think, if there is a divine form of masculine, do we see it from protectiveness? Actions that generate security and safety of others? The ability to move forward with an idea and make something of it? Since the masculine is associated with external energy, is it the way we all have the ability to be extroverted with our actions when it really matters? I think the patriarchy really screwed with our ideas of masculine and feminine 😆 hope these words make sense!
Makes complete sense! Thanks for the reframe because I struggle HEAVILYYYYYY with the divine masculine. Also, my mom was totally into gender norms when I was a kid. Thank goodness my cousin and I lived together for a few years as kids (with our moms and my brother) because it gave me access to “boy” toys, video games, and other things my mom considered inappropriate for little girls.
I’m going to preface this next part with my mom isn’t a religious nut job or anything. Our public schools near us usually meant pregnancy or gangs so she put me in catholic schools, and I definitely have some internalized misogyny from 10 years of that lol.
I think a lot of us struggle with masculinity because we are bombarded by it constantly in society and in many of our cultural practices. I don’t know about you, but I grew up with a lot of internalized sexism as ideas of being “girly” were frivolous and weak while being a “tomboy” was supposedly what made young girls more interesting (ugh) so I like many women grew up rejecting femininity in ourselves. Now we are trying to course correct and celebrate the feminine (yay) and how that can exist in all people… but maybe some of us over correct? I definitely have a complicated relationship with men in my life and how they use their masculinity to control and subject others to their will. So I struggle too, but I try to think, if there is a divine form of masculine, do we see it from protectiveness? Actions that generate security and safety of others? The ability to move forward with an idea and make something of it? Since the masculine is associated with external energy, is it the way we all have the ability to be extroverted with our actions when it really matters? I think the patriarchy really screwed with our ideas of masculine and feminine 😆 hope these words make sense!
Makes complete sense! Thanks for the reframe because I struggle HEAVILYYYYYY with the divine masculine. Also, my mom was totally into gender norms when I was a kid. Thank goodness my cousin and I lived together for a few years as kids (with our moms and my brother) because it gave me access to “boy” toys, video games, and other things my mom considered inappropriate for little girls.
I’m going to preface this next part with my mom isn’t a religious nut job or anything. Our public schools near us usually meant pregnancy or gangs so she put me in catholic schools, and I definitely have some internalized misogyny from 10 years of that lol.