Exploring Modern Masculinity and Gender Identity

GQ's "The New Masculinity" Issue (2019):
- Released nearly $6$ years prior to the current discussion.
- Examined an optimistic moment where men were breaking from traditional "cookie-cutter" or "old macho" molds and defining themselves.
GQ's "The State of the American Male in 2025" Issue (October):
- A fresh look at the topic, with "The state of the American male in $2025$ " as the cover line.
- Global editorial director Will Welch discussed their discoveries.
- Survey Finding: Most American men have not used moisturizer even once in the last $5$ years, indicating that "GQ's got some work left" because "the job is not done yet."

Current State of Confusion: The initial optimism of men defining themselves (as presented in the $2019$ issue) has led to confusion for many.
- This confusion is exacerbated by the "chaos of social media" and the "polarized political moment," making it feel like "everything's up in the air."
Purpose of New Issue: To address the current state of masculinity and offer practical guidance for men on how to move forward.
Shifting Definitions: Masculinity is not just a "pendulum that swings kinda between toxic and woke and back again."
"Undefined Third Place": GQ found that masculinity is currently in a largely "undefined third place," which is leaving many men searching for definition.
Sources of Anxiety: This lack of definition causes significant anxiety, leading men to turn to podcasts, different influencers, and social media for comparison, which further stirs up this anxiety.
Generational Differences: The world is "very open to a lot of different expressions of masculinity," especially for young men.

Context of Coming of Age: Gen Z navigated their formative years during COVID and a very intense social media era, contributing to anxiety.
Desire for Self-Definition: A story by Emily Sunberg, based on interviews with $21$ college students, revealed that Gen Z:
- Does not want older generations "projecting a crisis onto them."
- Seeks to define their own generation's ideals of masculinity.

Beyond Traditional Binaries: The understanding now is that gender is more expansive than just "boys, girls, men, women," encompassing "people who live in the spaces between them."
- "Transgender doesn't look just like one thing."
Evolution of Language: In the $70s$ and $80s$ , language for these diverse identities was lacking, leading individuals to feel "lost."
Self-Identified Terms: Individuals identify with terms such as:
- Agender
- Gender fluid
- Genderqueer
- Non-binary (a growing identification, particularly for those who feel they've been "running and running and running from gender all [their] life.")
Transgender vs. Non-binary: This is a crucial distinction.
- Transgender: Can sometimes represent a binary, such as male-to-female or female-to-male. Some trans individuals live "stealth lives," meaning they don't want others to know they are trans, indicating they are "fixed and located" within their affirmed gender.
- Non-binary: Means "not committing to one or the other," neither male nor female, but rather "some type of transgression of the two."
"Gender Revolution": The current era is acknowledged as a "gender revolution."

Misconceptions of Acceptance: Despite perceptions, even in seemingly liberal areas like Southern California, the reality can be harsh.
Violence Against Marginalized Groups: The tragic reality is that "black trans women are still getting killed out here," highlighting ongoing violence and inequalities faced by gender minorities.