Jag har aldrig hört begreppet "manlig demoralisering" så jag kollade upp vad doktor Halpin avser:
Citat:
In contrast to the praise that some men receive, other men are emphatically denigrated. In these conversations, looksmaxxing resembles an echo chamber of masculine demoralisation rather than a self‐improvement community. By masculine demoralisation, we mean that men are told that they deviate from accepted male beauty standards, that they have no hope of having a romantic/sexual relationship, and that they are failures as men.
They are positioned as permanently subordinated (Connell 1995) and ostracised from the hegemonic masculinity that they are pursuing. As we argue, this masculine demoralisation does not untether men from hegemonic masculinity as they have only given up on their ability to meet hegemonic ideals rather than the importance of such ideals. For such men, looksmaxxing is not a path to hegemony but a means to appear ‘normal’ or ‘human’.
Pg 6 Sociology of Health & Illness, 2025
Det är en öppet publicerad artikel på google drive:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hn3HDozK8_GMWOVtv3do3joZ4Guyxlpp/view
Även om looksmaxxing presenteras som en självförbättringsmetod så argumenterar de i artikeln att vissa män använder den hegemoniska maskulina blicken mot varandra som ett vapen. Alla män bedöms i förhållande till maskulina ideal, där de flesta män befinnes vara smärtsamt otillräckliga och utestängda från maskulinitet där självkänsla urholkas och självmord uppmuntras (alfa-beta-cuck-incel osv).
Citat:
Self‐improvement is not inherently harmful and these men seek to enhance their self‐esteem, self‐image and lives. However, we demonstrate that they are instead subjected to a hegemonic masculine gaze that caustically evaluates them in relation to an unachievable masculine ideal. After receiving such evaluations, men report engaging in substantial, expensive and potentially harmful health interventions. They are also subject to masculine demoralisation, which positions them as failed men and encourages self‐harm. We have demonstrated that, while operating under the guise of self improvement, looksmaxxing harms the health of men and boys.
Det märkliga är att det drivs och upprätthålls till stor del i en sorts ekokammare av män som verkar veta vad kvinnor gillar och ogillar.
