Mask wearing has become a highly politicized and gendered issue in the United States. PresidentDonald Trump's unwillingness to wear a mask is indicative of his toxic concept of masculinity and trickles down to his supporters who adopt extreme anti-mask viewpoints. Mariel Padilla(2020) provides an overview of who tends to wear masks in the United States in her aptly titled article called "Who's Wearing a Mask? Women, Democrats and City Dwellers". Many white male Republicans view mask-wearing as a demonstration of vulnerability, which is against the concept of masculinity with which they identify and therefore refuse to adopt the practice as they view it as emasculating (Haridasani Gupta, 2020a). Trump’s messaging throughout the pandemic has reinforced this concept that masks are not manly. Palmer & Peterson (2020) suggest that while men tend to have more negative affective reactions to wearing a mask, this is exaggerated when political elites frame mask-wearing as an issue of masculine toughness rather than public health. This is exactly how Donald Trump and the right-wing media have portrayed mask-wearing. An example of the right-wing media pushing this viewpoint is suggesting that Joe Biden carry a handbag, an item that is socialized to represent femininity and vulnerability diametrically opposed to masculine toughness, with his mask (Haridasani Gupta, 2020a). Politicians in power and the media have great influence over their country, and their messaging can have a huge effect on the attitudes of a nation.
Perhaps some of the support that propelled Trump to his presidency in the first place was based on his macho leadership style. Alisha Haridasani Gupta (2020b) notes that the 2016 election pitted feminism against machismo, and machismo won as the tough, misogynistic Trump took power. Trump has brought his macho style to much of what he has done in office including his negotiations with other countries and congress (Haridasani Gupta, 2020a). This may suggest that many of Trump's Republican compatriots were socialized to identify with the same masculine ideals. Men face social pressures to adopt these masculine norms which are enforced by various agents of socialization like educational environment, social groups, and families (Palmer &Peterson, 2020). Capraro and Barcelo (2020) point out that men tend to have more feelings of shame and weakness than women when wearing a mask, but the difference is less pronounced in places where mask-wearing is mandatory for everyone. This suggests that the negative affective reactions to wearing a mask surround the decision to wear a mask rather than actually wearing one. Men tend to take more risks, particularly surrounding health behaviours, and need to portray a sense of bravery and toughness while taking these risks to fulfill their idea of masculinity and to avoid incongruity in their identity (Palmer & Peterson, 2020). Perhaps when the process of deciding to wear a mask is removed, the feeling of needing to take risks and appear tough to fulfill these norms is also removed. In these situations, it seems that men can maintain their masculine identity by trying to appear tough in other areas of their life. So why has the decision to wear a mask been so polarized in the United States? Libertarianism is an idea deeply entrenched in the American identity which in this context means that fully informed adults should not be limited in the risks they can take, and should not be required to protect themselves by wearing a mask (Bachynski, 2020). Bachynski goes on to draw parallels to motorcycle helmet laws as it is still legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet in around half of the states. To manyAmericans, it is unconstitutional to limit the risk they can subject themselves to. The meaning of masks changes from group to group. For the people who wear masks, they likely represent a safety net and an act of social solidarity. To those who refuse to wear a mask, they represent weakness and a 'muzzling' that impinges on their freedom (North, 2020). This narrative seems to arise from the deep rooted libertarianism associated with American identity. These ideologies and values seem to be more prevalent amongst Republican supporters than Democrats.Suggesting that all men and Republicans refuse to wear a mask while all women and Democrats accept mask policies is an oversimplification. It is, however, interesting to investigate why these patterns have come to fruition. It seems that political party affiliation and identification with masculine norms of toughness are key in determining willingness to wear a mask.
Masculinity, or at least the toxic concept of masculinity prevalent in the United States, and supporting the Republican Party seem to have an interesting intersection of values that lead to the polarized anti-mask viewpoints that have arisen in the United States. Haridasani Gupta (2020b) suggests that after the 2020 election, the American view of masculinity may change when Joe Biden becomes president. While the 2016 election represented feminism against machismo, the 2020 election was a battle of different ideas of what masculinity should look like. Having a powerful male public figure who is not misogynistic, is willing to show affection for his family, admit when he is wrong, and admit his own vulnerability by wearing a mask may reset the American values of masculinity for future generations (Haridasani Gupta, 2020b). A different leadership style and display of masculinity from one of the most powerful men on earth may reset the meaning of masculinity, and allow people who identify with masculine norms to maintain their masculine identity without feeling shame for wearing a mask.
References
Bachynski, K. (2020, June 12). "You're a Coward If You Try to Protect Yourself": Public healthhistorian Kathleen Bachynski on the parallels between refusing to wear goalie masks inhockey and face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic [Interview by P. Hruby]. HrealSports.
Capraro, V., & Barcelo, H. (2020, May 11). The effect of messaging and gender on intentions towear a face covering to slow down COVID-19 transmission.https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/tg7vz
Haridasani Gupta, A. (2020a, October 22). How an Aversion to Masks Stems From ‘ToxicMasculinity’. The New York Times.
Haridasani Gupta, A. (2020b, November 3). What Makes a Man Manly? Trump and Biden OfferCompeting Answers. The New York Times.
North, A. (2020, May 12). What Trump’s refusal to wear a mask says about masculinity inAmerica. Vox.
Padilla, M. (2020, June 2). Who’s Wearing a Mask? Women, Democrats and City Dwellers. TheNew York Times.
Palmer, C., & Peterson, R. (2020). Toxic Mask-ulinity: The Link between Masculine Toughnessand Affective Reactions to Mask Wearing in the COVID-19 Era. Politics & Gender, 1-8.doi:10.1017/S1743923X20000422