Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part C (2024)

In The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love, bell hooks critically examines the construction of masculinity and its harmful impact on both men and society at large. This paper explores how hooks deconstructs toxic masculine norms through a nuanced performance of gender, urging a transformative reimagining of masculinity. By unpacking the social, cultural, and psychological forces that shape masculine identity, hooks challenges traditional views that equate manhood with emotional repression, domination, and violence. Her analysis emphasizes the importance of love, vulnerability, and emotional expression as essential aspects of healthy masculinity, advocating for a shift away from patriarchal norms that confine men to restrictive roles. In doing so, hooks offers a vision of masculinity that is not only decolonized but also liberated from the rigid expectations that perpetuate emotional and relational harm. Through the performance of gender in a more inclusive and empathetic framework, The Will to Change calls for a collective dismantling of toxic masculinity, encouraging men to embrace their full humanity and, ultimately, to transform societal attitudes toward gender and power.