What's toxic masculinity?

"He was a virgin. Twenty. All his friends had a girlfriend. They had done it. He was the only virgin of the group, the laughing stock between all.

'What kind of a man are you? Real men do not remain virgins for long. So what if you don't have a girlfriend? Men can visit prostitutes too. They are cheap and easy.' His friend suggested.

He decided to listen to his friend. He wanted to become a real man. The pressure of having sex was rising on him. His virginity was becoming his biggest disrespect.

He went to Sonagachi. He entered the smelly and depressing red light areas. Women and girls ranging from the age of 5 to 50 were standing on roads, their face powdered and cheap lipsticks on their swelled lips, waiting for their 30th customer of the day.

'Aye hero chalta hai kya. Bas 50rs mai.' A girl, barely 13, held his hand.

‘Hey hero, want to come for just for Rs 50?’

He got scared. He moved ahead fast.

'Oye Sir, kya maal mangta tumko. Mere saath chalo, humare pass 5 saal ki bhi hai.' A pimp offered him.

‘Hey Sir, come with me. We even have 5 year olds.’

He moved away even faster, wiping his sweat from his forehead.

He then looked up. In a dark and dirty house, behind bars, he saw a young woman, caged like a beautiful bird.

Something broke inside him.

That was the first pillar of blind lust.

And then he ran. He ran hard and came out of the area. As soon as he came out in open he vomited.

'Its okay. Maybe you need an expensive girl. An escort. I'll arrange one for you. Don't worry.' His friend suggested again the next week.

He was sure he will get rid of his virginity soon.

This time, in an Oyo room, a college girl entered his room.

'Two hours, 8k. Come on, lets start. And be quick. I need to attend three more clients today.' She said professionally, unclothing herself simultaneously.

'Do you like what you do girl?' He asked, looking in her empty and dead eyes, resembling the eyes of the caged woman he saw the previous week.

'What kind of non sense is this? Don't irritate me. Just do what you want to satisfy your hunger.' She answered.

'No.' He said softly.

'What? You don't want to do it?' She asked, clearly irritated.

'Nahi.' He answered again.

'Then why did you waste my time. I need my money, no matter what.'

He stood up, silently paid her and opened the door to leave.

'Am I that ugly, or aren't you a man enough to do it?' She asked him mockingly.

He turned around and smiled.

'I have just now realized that I am a man enough who knows he cannot have sex with a woman's body in exchange for money, but want a woman whose soul would be mine.'

And then he walked out proudly.

That day, he knew he was the only real man amidst all his friends."

Toxic Masculinity- A masculinity that defines a man's worth on his virginity, the number of times he had sex and the number of women he had sex with. That definition of manliness according to me is toxic, where he is even ready to pay for a body to prove his worth and satisfy his lust and ego.

Healthy Masculinity- Where a man looks into the eyes and heart of a woman and read her soul. To not see her just as a body in exchange for money. Rather than having mindless disconnected sex with a stranger, he looks out for love in a woman and put in efforts to keep her.

“A real man is not the man who has loved a thousand girls in one way. A real man is a man who has loved one girl in a thousand ways.”