There's an uncanny timing of the release of Adolescence on Netflix earlier this month, March 13. This hard-hitting series about the toxic influence of the online "manosphere" and toxic masculinity, arrived just as news broke about a story that had begun making headlines in India for a few days: that a 17-year-old boy from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, killed his father following a domestic dispute.

The reports said the teenager watched over 100 episodes of Crime Patrol, the crime investigation series to learn methods for committing and concealing crimes. He destroyed evidence by burning the body with petrol and toilet cleaner. In June 2022, a 16-year-old boy in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly shot his mother after she forbade him from playing a mobile game. After the incident, he invited his friends and watched the movie Fukrey while eating. The mother's body remained in another room.

What is Manosphere and Toxic Masculinity?

Manosphere is a collection of online communities that share the goal of promoting masculinity, spreading misogyny and the belief that feminism has destroyed our society. These groups are united by the belief that society is biased against men due to the influence of feminism. This belief system has been associated with online harassment and radicalising men into misogynistic beliefs and glorification of violence against women. They blame women and feminists for all sorts of problems in society and encourage resentment and hatred towards them.

On the other hand, Toxic masculinity is about the behaviours that families, peers and media reinforce in boys: that 'men should be strong' or 'be a man' or 'men don't cry'. When these ideas are taken to an extreme they become harmful for both men and women. Toxic masculinity also suggests men use violence against women to get what they want, apparently that's men's self-esteem, and self-worth if he has women, wealth, and power. Experts say toxic masculinity is also the reason for rapes.

In 2023 murder case of Shraddha Walker, her boyfriend, Aftab Amin Poonawalla, reportedly drew inspiration from the American crime series Dexter. The police report said he watched numerous crime movies and web series before committing the crime. Aftab confessed that he used the techniques from these shows to dismember Shraddha's body into 35 pieces, store them in a refrigerator, and gradually dispose of them over 18 days in different locations around Delhi.

For instance, Bollywood film Mardaani 2 starring Rani Mukerji also delved into the psyche of a young serial rapist and murderer, who targets women he perceives as threats to male dominance. The antagonist's actions are driven by a belief that women should remain subservient and not challenge societal norms. The rape is not a result of sexual desire but a tool for exercising power and control over women. This highlights the roots of toxic masculinity in society. While the idea that girls should be feminine and boys and men to be masculine is deeply rooted, these emotions encompass behaviours like being tough, aggressive, taking risks, showing little or no emotions, pursuing women, wealth and power.

This is not only happening in India. Other countries are experiencing similar headlines. For instance, a 25-year-old boy killed his girlfriend after she ended their relationship. The update showed that the boy searched the web for Andrew Tate's podcast hours before killing his girlfriend, her sister, and her mother at their family home in Hertfordshire.

This is concerning. And the series Adolescence diligently interrogates this distressing trend by looking into the eye of male rage.

A hard-hitting story:

Tanu Sharma, a clinical psychologist, who specialises in adolescent behaviour explains, "Toxic masculinity instils in young boys the notion that expression vulnerability is a weakness. This suppression of emotions can manifest as aggression and a need to dominate, eventually leading to violent behaviours when they feel their authority is challenged."

The Netflix miniseries has racked up a massive 66.3 million views and is also receiving widespread acclaim from critics for dealing with this issue with sensitivity. With stellar acting, and writing, it is reported that the episodes were shot in one take, for its technical nous. The drama deals with a 13-year-old UK boy who is accused of brutally killing a girl–this is toxic masculinity. The theme has struck a chord with viewers the world over.

Dr Sumegha Soni, a psychiatrist with experience in juvenile cases confirms that hyper masculine characters in films and shows can reinforce harmful stereotypes. "When young children consume content that glorifies dominance and control, they may internalise these traits. They start believing that violence is an acceptable response to conflict," says Dr. Soni.

More than just a buzzword:

Additionally, toxic masculinity is also about having multiple sexual partners, at the same time deprecating women who do the same. The idea also disdains women's work such as housekeeping or taking care of children. "Children from dysfunctional families fall prey to these tendencies. They are mostly exposed to violence and get rejected by their peers. They also don't have access to therapy," says Dr Soni.

Though the term toxic masculinity has gained widespread usage in recent years, its origin goes back to the late 20th Century. At the time, the men's movement coined this term to describe how certain behaviours negatively impacted them. The term has made a comeback under the 'fourth wave' of feminism that began a decade ago. Sexual harassment, domestic violence, bullying, and misogyny and some examples of toxic masculinity. "Those suffering from toxic masculinity also display homophobia, talk anti-feminist, and display anti-feminist behaviours. They are emotionally insensitive," says Clinical Psychologist Sharma.

Violence against women to maintain men's self-esteem and self-worth further leads to gender inequalities in society. At the same time, those who practice these behaviours incur mental and physical health concerns. Research from 2018 suggests that these behaviours can give rise to poor sleep and depression.

 "The problem with toxic masculinity is that it adopts a very shallow perspective of masculinity. Men indulge in risk-taking and dangerous behaviours to prove their masculinity. Children who suffer from toxic masculinity may struggle to perform academically, may use substances, become suicidal or suffer from other psychological issues. They struggle to form strong friendships and connect with people," says Counselling Psychologist Sneha Saha.

Just like every problem has a solution, toxic masculinity and manosphere can be countered as well. Psychiatrist Dr Janhavi Katdare, who specialises in child and adolescent issues suggests a few points to counter toxic masculine traits. "Parents should be aware of trends and the language they communicate with their children.

Media literacy is important. Ask questions and normalise them by asking questions about what they think. Teach emotional intelligence and how to process different emotions. Parents need to teach what real masculinity is and how it is okay to fail. Normalise open conversations before a radical misogynistic person talks to them," says Dr Katdare.

Misogyny goes viral:

A survey done in the US noted that 22 per cent of men say they should be exempted from doing housework 44 per cent said they should be the sole breadwinner and another 28 per cent said boys don't need to learn cooking, cleaning, and child care. Another survey suggests that 34 per cent of men in the US say they should have the final word when it comes to making any decisions. Nearly half the participants said they should know when their partner is at all times. And 20 percent of men said violence is okay if you 'need to get respect'.

The price of toxic masculinity and incel (involuntary celibacy) culture is what societies the world over are struggling with. Social media influencers like the Tate brothers–Andrew and Tristan Tate preach this lifestyle to impressionable young men as a way to get high-status women and make money. The influencers have been accused of sexual trafficking. Their social media accounts look like scenes from a C-grade Bollywood movie and clearly show the backdrop of preaching misogyny and manosphere.

This doesn't come as a surprise, for these are the regular practices in most Indian households–man has the "final say".

Is India free from toxic masculinity?

A question that has an answer in negative. For centuries India has remained patriarchal and not much has changed. Every day distressing headlines about violence against women–be it rape, marital rape, domestic abuse, acid attacks, or killing, hit our doors. Women politicians don't shy away but blame girls for their interaction with boys as a cause of rising rape cases. On the other hand, male politicians get away with derogatory remarks such as, 'boys will be boys' or 'when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it'.

(The former remark was made by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav when he opposed capital punishment for rape, saying “ladke, ladke hain... galti ho jati hai. (Boys will be boys... they make mistakes...)" The latter statement came from Congress leader KR Ramesh Kumar in Karnataka Assembly.)

If this is not enough, cinema as a means of influencing millions of people never leaves a chance to glorify toxic masculinity, objectify and sexualise women to attract the male gaze. The filmmakers nonchalantly say, "We serve what the audience wants."

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