Does Toxic Masculinity Exist? — Therapist Reacts to The Boys: Soldier Boy

Is toxic masculinity real? How does it manifest is someone? What's the difference between toxic masculinity and toughness? Psychotherapist Georgia Dow explains the effects on the person exhibiting this toxicity using Soldier Boy from season 3 of "The Boys!"

#theboys #soldierboy #toxicmasculinity

🚨 DISCLAIMER: This video series is provided for informational purposes only and should not substitute for a personal consultation with a professional.

Nebula homepage for Georgia!

🙏 Thanks for watching, see you next video!

[shaevizla]

Dude's powers literally correlates with his mental state. Guy bottles up everything until he can't anymore then explodes and destroys everything around him and then he bottles it up again and the cycle repeats.

[emavaz]

I think a lot of people are missing something between that interaction between Soldier Boy and Homelander. When Homelander tells Soldier Boy that" I am you", Soldier Boy then replies "I know you're an f***ing disappointment", he's not just telling Homelander that, he's also acknowledging his own failings as a person, perhaps even a "hero". This is something that's worth looking into, maybe even doing the deep dive on.

[TheTonyRedgrave]

Soldier Boy can be hilarious at times, but he is so broken. When he calls Homelander a disappointment, it's like he's looking at his own reflection.

[ramonantoniodejuanbennett]

Looking for love in all the wrong places.
The need for a father's approval.
Loneliness, fear, despair, anger, hate.
Sex, narcotics, alcohol, violent bullying as coping
All these negative traits will drive a person to do horrible things and creates monsters. This is the core of this show.
It's basically psychoanalysis done as an interesting story.

[travismiddleton]

I absolutely love this breakdown of Soldier Boy. He was a great addition to Season 3. His actor was amazing. The twist with Homelander was brilliant and I really hope Soldier Boy returns next season. Something I would also point out in Soldier Boy's character is that his father called him a disappointment and when Soldier Boy confronts Homelander he copies what his father said to him by calling Homelander a disappointment. But ironically Homelander breaks that cycle with his own son Ryan. Homelander doesn't think Ryan is a disappointment he shows affection towards him something neither Soldier Boy or Homelander had as children themselves

[brocKain]

Soldier Boy is, in my opinion, exactly what a real life Wolverine would be like. Perhaps less obnoxious but just as indifferent to the world & traumatized. We're talking about dealing with 3 times the amount of loss & pain the average human being has to endure, the brain washing, amnesia & physical trauma & that heavily invasive body wide surgery of molten metal being fused to his entire skeleton. No wonder in Logan this man wanted to die, which actually was his motivation in the last two films (Logan & The Wolverine) but at least he overcomes it in the Wolverine to be a hero. It just seems like a grueling, unfair existence. even his powers invoke a painful nature as his claws cut through his hands every time they're deployed. If any veteran has a right to snort & drink whatever drugs he wants, it would be Wolvie 😂

[mwck]

Soldier Boy's issues stem from his relationship with his father. Growing up all he wanted was his father's approval but he could never get it. So he signed up for compound V and became the world's greatest superhero and became a war hero thinking finally he will have his father's approval. Instead he father said he wasn't a man because he took a short cut and cheated. His father would then proceed to call him a disappointment.

[Boyahda]

HL: "Weak? I'm you."

SB: "I know. You're a ****ing disappointment."

Such a good scene. Solider Boy is actively critiquing not only Homelander but himself as well in that particular scene. He developed as a character quite well over the course of S3 I just wish he had more screen time.

[CyberHand]

Basically you can be super masculine but don’t lose your emotions compassion and empathy

[RhinoBarbarian]

Fun Fact: One of the reasons Jensen Ackles was cast as Soldier Boy was because he was the runner up to play Captain America in the MCU. And - obviously - Soldier Boy is a dark pastiche of Captain America.

[GenerationWest]

First off, love the show version of Solider Boy, because he's the complete opposite of the comic, who was a absolute coward, plus, he has a actual character here.
Secondly, not gonna lie, my first immediate thought of your Soldier Boy cosplay was Nightwing lol

[kihaakui]

One of my favourite moments of the entire season is Soldier Boy's lip quiver when younger Grace Mallory tells him that his macho act never really works with women. That every woman is either humoring him or afraid of him. He shoots back with something smug about her getting a man, but that lip quiver lets the audience know that he knows she's right.

[KoongYe]

I usually don't like the word "Toxic Masculinity" because it is sometimes used as a weapon to shut down an argument without having a genuine conversation. I also don't like how people frame all masculine traits as toxic. However, SB is the true case of Toxic Masculinity where it not only harms the people around him but himself as well. I've dealt with such father for my entire life while I was more of a emotional type of person. I was taught not to cry and got physically punished when I showed any hint of weakness ... kind of like Butcher. The constant struggle to "not be a pu**y" kept me stressed and anxious until I realized that I can't change myself nor even need to. My father seemed to suffer from it since everyone around him feared him and never showed their emotional towards him making him lonely. He became much loose as he aged and became more emotional. I find him to be a better father and a better man these days than ever before.

[Seasonal-Shadow_]

Soldier Boy was my new favorite character and villain from The Boys. I go back and forth on him, when watching the show, I pitied him and was disappointed how he was disposed of in the season finale.I can understand him when it comes to be betrayed and plus Jensen Ackles acting. However while Homelander is worse, Soldier Boy isn't a saint and some of the worst I have seen of people IRL up close I see in Soldier Boy which makes it unnecessarily complicated

[hab]

I think its one of the biggest "conspiracies" of culture where other people would control the definition of manhood. A narrow definition of manhood that excludes feelings thus excludes listening to your inner voice. This makes one more "useful" to others (like fighting someone else's war.)

[trinaq]

Thanks so much for this analysis, Georgia. There's a difference between being strong and being toxic, and men should feel more able to express their emotions in a healthy way without fear of being emasculated by society.

[arctroopernull]

There’s a time and place to be an emotionless soldier. Having it turned on all the time will cause harm to those who you love.

[TheWazzoGames]

Also notice how when Hughie confronts him on his own perceived weakness; that being that he isn’t “man” enough and lied about being in World War 2, he punches Hughie in the face.

[Chemical_Droplets]

At least he keeps his own words. That is the most likeable character from him.

[Alexanderthegreat]

Yea this guy is actually toxic masculinity. He should be the definition. I hate it when people use the phrase for any little thing a guy does, but this.... THIS character is actually toxic