A fiery debate has erupted over the definition of masculinity after an American father – Aaron Gouveia – posted a thread about his 5-year-old son, Sam, who was bullied by classmates for wearing red nail polish to school. In the post, he addressed his frustration with gender norms and toxic masculinity. 

When talking about the definition of masculinity, Malik Nabee, an Internet personality in China, said: “I grew up being told that being masculine or being a man… you have to take responsibilities and extend a helping hand to whoever seeks it, but also have to be physically strong because I was told that you were supposed to protect others when needed.”

Kukhee Choo, a media and cultural studies professor from Sophia University, said she was sorry to hear the boy got bullied just because he was expressing his own identity or his sense of fashion. But she was also very happy to hear that many people had stood up for this child and supported the family.

China has also seen heated discussions last month, when a TV program for elementary school students featured four fresh-faced, well-groomed young Chinese stars with “girly” appearances, following which, China's People's Daily and Xinhua published pieces with contrasting opinions.

The People's Daily attacked Xinhua's use of the word “sissy,” and added that “modern society has broadened the arena of aesthetic standards” and “provides more diversified living styles” and “more facets to masculinity.”

Malik encouraged this kind of discussion. In his opinion, the two views perfectly represent what is going on in China. “We need to have more discussion and more arguments from official media to educate the audience about different views on the topic."

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