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Apr 9, 2021Liked by Austin

I really enjoyed reading these you continue to grow as a writer!

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Thanks for sharing my story!

i really enjoyed this issue and last issue especially - i shared last issue with a group of male and AMAB non-binary friends who've been discussing masculinity, i had it saved to reply to you with a proper thoughtful discussion but it looks like I'm going to be as unreliable a commenter as i am a timely-email-replier

what struck me, i think, is that much of the start of what you wrote could have been said by a lot of my male/AMAB friends (including the nail painting), but the conclusion they mostly came to was that they don't particularly connect to masculinity or think of themselves as "a man" but it didn't really affect them negatively either, so shrug, basically. whereas your conclusion was much more invested in / attached to masculinity (for yourself) - it was interesting to see people have very similar experiences / thoughts but quite a different outcome

They came up with a metaphor for gender that i think works well - that masculinity was like a work uniform, but a comfortable and functional one, so while it's not "them" they don't mind putting it on every morning to go out into the world - it's not worth kicking up a fuss about. I liked that - in that metaphor, femininity is like a work uniform that's like, a playboy bunny outfit - i don't mind being a woman but i just want to get on with my day and do my work and stuff, but I'm forced to wear an outfit that means people see me as inherently sexual even when I'm not flirting or in a remotely sexual context

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