Lee-Barnewall opens the way to talk about what I think is at the heart of the current debate: the definition of masculinity. By reframing the argument, Lee-Barnewall helps us to see that this is not about “women’s issues”; questions of identity arise as much for men as for women. Our culture tends to define maleness in two interlocking ways. First, it defines male as that which is not female. The reverse is not entirely true, for a girl can be a tomboy and a woman can be a strong athlete without diminishing her identity as a female. Second, it defines a male as having more of something than a
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