Ladies Man: A Profeminist Memoir

I’m writing a book about the three feminists who raised me; the feminists who’ve raised the bar for me throughout my life; and the feminist who, for the last 25 years, has saved my life. Ladies Man: A Profeminist Memoir will be informed by scholarly footnotes ranging from “intergenerational trauma” to “post-feminism” and documented with photography. Two of the feminists who raised me are products of Poland’s third feminist wave of the 1870s that produced women like Madam Marie Curie. I’m intending to contribute 50 percent of book sales to HeforShe, the United Nations’ global solidarity movement for gender equality.

Paul Meyer

Chicago

Is It a Boy Crisis or a New Normal?

Regarding the growing male crisis, with just a little connection to feminism guys (“Is It a Boy Crisis of a New Normal,” Winter 2023). Long before we begin thinking about boy/girl brains and role models, we need to first think in complex ways about very real differential treatment of boys and girls from infancy. I feel we are missing out in two ways. We must see how our genetics models are not correct in terms of ability. Second, we must learn to see stress in a new way, one that is made up of… layers of mental conflicts from infancy. [This] takes away real mental energy—from thinking, learning, motivation, reducing reflection time, and hurting emotional health.

By seeing stress this way, we can see much better how the differential treatment boys receive from infancy greatly affects thinking, learning, motivation and mental health, and how this problem increases greatly as we move down the socioeconomic ladder. [T]his differential treatment is also causing middle class boys to fall behind their female peers. We must understand the belief that boys/men should be strong and very aggressive… [and receive] less supportive treatment by parents, teachers, and society, is causing us to lose many boys and men in the information age. We are losing generations of boys—later men— and creating more drug/ alcohol abuse, suicide, and violence. I fear this will grow out of control unless we take immediate action to provide much of the same, kind, stable, verbal interaction, and mental/ emotional supports…girls are receiving from infancy through adulthood. We must end this differential treatment in the information age if we wish for boys and men to compete equally with girls and women.

Lynn Matthews

Via email

Gender, War, and Male “Disadvantage”

Your article, “Gender, War and Male “Disadvantage” has got to be the dumbest piece that I have ever read. Are you’re trying to tell me that if women had more presence in the military, WW2 would’ve been stopped? Do you really have any idea how world governments work? War is inevitable regardless of women involvement. Who would you rather have lead your armies, a woman or a man? These rules were set in place thousands of years ago. Men and Women have clear roles to play in this world. Stop trying to blur the lines. Real Men don’t buy into this bullshit.

Thomas Hearl

Via email (Received in April of this year in response to an article published in the Fall 2017 issue.)