Meryl Streep slams the term 'toxic masculinity', says women can be toxic too
Meryl Streep is all geared up to promote her upcoming show 'Big Little Lies' along with Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman among others. However, during a recent interview for the promotion of the HBO show, the actress was quick to bring attention to how she is not a big fan of the term "toxic masculinity".
The discussion on the topic arose when Streep sat down for a Q&A with the cast, hosted by Radhika Jones of Vanity Fair, as reported by Instyle.
During the interview, one of the audience members told Kidman that he enjoyed watching the show. Streep then chimed in stating that she was pleased to hear he had found a liking for the show even though he wasn't a woman. She then added that the term toxic masculinity is applicable to everyone because it is not just the men that it applies to but rather people in general.
Streep believes that the term needs to be re-evaluated and one needs to communicate its meaning clearly as by using the term "toxic masculinity" one is generalizing things.
"Sometimes, I think we're hurt. We hurt our boys by calling something toxic masculinity. I do. And I don't find [that] putting those two words together … because women can be pretty fucking toxic," Streep said.
"It's toxic people. We have our good angles and we have our bad ones. I think the labels are less helpful than what we're trying to get to, which is communication, direct, between human beings. We're all on the boat together. We've got to make it work."
Streep noted that many people sometimes get confused with regard to what the term entails.
Sometimes, people believe that it covers things such as violence and misogyny and in this sense, mix the meaning of what is termed as toxic masculinity.
"Toxic masculinity is a narrow and repressive description of manhood, designating manhood as defined by violence, sex, status, and aggression," explains The Good Men Project.
They further note, "It's the cultural ideal of manliness, where strength is everything while emotions are a weakness; where sex and brutality are yardsticks by which men are measured, while supposedly 'feminine' traits — which can range from emotional vulnerability to simply not being hypersexual — are the means by which your status as 'man' can be taken away."
Meanwhile, the ladies were quick to get the discussion back on their much awaited season 2 of 'Big Little Lies' which is set to release in June 2019.
Kidman noted that, initially, she hadn't planned that the show would have a season 2. However, looking at fan reaction, all of them decided that they should give the audience what they want and without second-guessing the decision, season 2 of 'Big Little Lies' was in motion.
However, one of the biggest surprise that the fans got was the entry of Streep as one of the characters in the upcoming season.
"We're so fortunate that she believed in us," Kidman said of Streep joining the cast. "She signed on without having read anything. That is a massive thing for a woman with that amount of power and also the fall she could take if we didn't deliver for her. It shows trust. It also shows how she's unbelievably daring and curious and bold. And I love her!"