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 I came across this link on feministing.com and thought it was interesting and highly relevant to the discussions we have had in class about masculinity.

In case you don't feel like reading the article, it basically talks about how high-levels of plastic (phthalates) in woman's bodies during pregnancy makes their boy babies "less masculine." What does it mean to be less masculine anyways? The article attempts to clarify by saying that they do not mean that the boys were feminine and played with dolls, but that "they're playing in more gender neutral ways- the sports were quite neutral, for instance- what it does suggest is that (the effects) could manifest in other ways- in verbal ability, in spatial ability and so on, which are also sexually dimorphic."

The whole article is problematic on so many levels that I don't even know where to begin. It is just so sad and ridiculous that women are being told to go to these extreme measures to avoid plastic so that their boys will not become less masculine. And then there is the whole idea that less masculine is equated with playing in "gender neutral ways." What does that even mean? Bleh. I hate articles like this. There really is so much progress to be made in breaking these stereotypes and definitions of masculinity and femininity.