Justice

This Guy is Getting Roasted for His Photo of What Straight Men's Hands Look Like

July 11th 2017

Stereotypes about gay men abound and masculinity can be so fragile that one man took to Twitter to brag about his dirty fingernails.

On May 30, @Mr_HumbleRSA tweeted a photo of his dirty hand with a proclamation.

It seemed as though Twitter gave a collective side-eye, as the responses poured in:

The tweet revealed the stereotypes still held about gay men — and about masculinity.

A gay man can have dirty fingernails and a straight man can have clean fingernails. A job that requires working outdoors or with your hands doesn't determine sexuality, nor does it define masculinity.

The issue of fragile masculinity has been discussed on Twitter before; most notably, with the viral hashtag "#MasculinitySoFragile" in 2015. ATTN: writer Laura Donovan explained what was behind it:

"As many have noted, the hashtag isn't mean to shame men who would describe themselves as masculine. It is intended to give people an opportunity to highlight the consequences of certain societal expectations placed on masculinity. #MasculinitySoFragile challenges the idea that men aren't supposed to cry, show emotion, and/or engage in behavior that might be considered 'feminine.' (Last week ATTN: wrote about why it can be harmful to use the phrase 'man up.')"

Fragile masculinity was challenged, again, with this summer's most viral fashion statement: the RompHim.

The romper marketed for men, was quickly mocked. "We still aren't totally sure why rompers haven't been widely adopted by men," the designers told Elle magazine in May. As Shonitria Anthony wrote for ATTN: in response, "However, the creators of RompHim fail to note society's views of men — especially, men of color — whenever they try on traditionally 'women's' fashion is incredibly sexist."

Anthony continues: "In 2011, Kanye West faced enormous backlash when he wore a leather Givenchy kilt during his 'Watch the Throne' tour. In September, rapper Young Thug ruffled even more feathers when he graced the cover of his album, 'No, My Name Is Jeffery' in a fluffy, purple skirt."

Therefore, while it may be disappointing, it isn't entirely surprising that a similar attitude would be adopted about having hands that aren't manicured — or, well, even clean. It all goes back to the idea of what a straight man should and should not look like.

Indeed.

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