SUDBURY - Cambrian professor Neil Shyminsky, a self-described “littlest kid in class” became obsessed in his youth with Wolverine, a reluctant hero in the X-men comic book series.
But it wasn’t until he went to university he decided that, perhaps, the mighty X-man he looked up to was not quite the role model he thought.
“There's no greater empowerment fantasy than the little guy with claws who can't be killed,” said Shyminsky with a laugh. “It wasn't until I reached university and took classes on feminism and gender studies that I realized that, in fact, might be feeding me something a little toxic.”
It’s that idea of toxic masculinity that drove Shyminsky to begin studying and researching masculinity, and in particular, through the lens of comic books and graphic novels. Now, after taking these ideas to social media, the professor has almost one million followers across three platforms, with the most followers on TikTok: 400,000.
A Cambrian faculty member at the School of Justice, Community Services and General Studies, you can read some of his academic publications here, which include topics such as “Mutation, Racialization, Decimation: The X-Men as White Men,” and “Unmasking ‘Gay’ Sidekicks: Queer Anxiety and the Narrative Straightening of the Superhero.”
But it’s the idea of toxic masculinity that has gained Shyminsky the most traction with his followers.
@professorneil Men are never as masculine as they once were - and never have been #men #manhood #masculinity #toxicmasculinity #fragilemasculinity #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Professor Neil
‘Toxic masculinity’ is a relatively new phrase. While the concept has become controversial, with some believing it has connotations that reject all masculinity, the definition includes a masculinity that hurts others, including the man himself.
The term highlights a specific form of masculinity and a specific set of social expectations that could be seen as unhealthy or dangerous. For example, the idea that one should “man up” rather than show weakness.
According to an article on The Conversation, Queensland University professor Michael Flood states toxic masculinity is represented by qualities such as violence, dominance, emotional illiteracy, sexual entitlement, and hostility to femininity.
The limited studies available have shown that stereotypical masculine norms are bad for women, but especially, bad for men and boys.
@professorneil Just a few things to be mindful of #masculinity #healthymasculinity #positivemasculinity ♬ original sound - Professor Neil
But rather than explore masculinity in all its forms, including the toxic kind, some have moved further into what they say are traditional gender roles, leading to the rise of what’s called “the Manosphere, said Flood, in another piece for The Conversation. With leaders like Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson and, primarily, Joe Rogan. According to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the "manosphere" refers to a wide variety of men’s groups operating on the internet and offline. Many describe themselves as fighting against progressive (or "woke") ideas about gender equality. Manosphere influencers often assert the unfounded idea that men are naturally dominant. They can even distort biology and evolution to argue that restrictive gender norms are natural.
A play on the pro-abortion motto, “my body, my choice,” the use of the slogan "your body, my choice," (popularized in part by podcaster, Nick Fuentes) jumped 4,600 per cent in 24 hours in the days following the Nov. 5 American presidential election, though some of that was due to people speaking out against it.
One of those was Neil Shyminsky.
Many of his videos are referred to as “stitches,” as the short clips begin with another speaking before Shyminsky interjects, stitching himself into the middle. In one case, a man in the video tells others that all they need to secure a “girl that will do whatever you want her to do,” is to give her money.
In the middle, as a retort, Shyminsky’s face then comes on screen. “Spoiler alert: that is, in reality, not it,” he said, before explaining that is not a partner, but something else. “She’s financially dependent on you and has to be responsive to all your directives. Congratulations! You have an employee, and one hell of a toxic workplace.”
@professorneil I’m not sure what he’s paying her but it definitely isn’t enough #dating #datingcoach ♬ original sound - Professor Neil
Shyminsky said he began adding videos to social media during the pandemic, as an extension of his classes at Cambrian, and a way to pass the time.
What began as a chance to discuss graphic novels and comics in an academic framework has turned from education to activism, he told Sudbury.com.
The response has been “very much mixed.”
In between messages from viewers who enjoy his work, at least two people have called the college to try to get him fired over his content.
“I regularly get threats that, for the most part, I don't take very seriously, showing up from accounts that were clearly created just for the purpose of sending this threat,” said Shyminsky.
He said he believes when there is an uptick in defamatory messages to him, that a woman has perhaps shown her partner in order to start a discussion, but it had the opposite effect.
“We sort of joke about in this small circle of men who make videos like these that we can tell when we've created something that was probably shared by a woman with her male partner,” he said. “When we start getting these anonymous insults that show up in our inbox, it's like, oh, somebody is upset with us because his wife or his girlfriend thought that maybe he had something to learn, and they're just pissed.”
One of the aspects of his videos that Shyminsky is particularly proud of is that his videos are “prescriptive” rather than “descriptive.”
He references another Tiktok sociologist who he notes tends to just offer data, rather than putting it in context.
“He's sharing hard stats, quantitative data, but he's always saying, ‘look, I'm not making recommendations; this is not prescriptive. It is strictly descriptive’,” said Shyminsky. He said the issue there is that this data can be taken and used in a way that is disingenuous.
“So I try to consistently express and reinforce in my videos, if I'm going to use data that says something is unequal, it's sexist, or what have you, then I'm going to add something in here to say but it can and should be different.”
And while some downplay the effect that social media like Tiktok can have on the greater discourse, Shyminsky is enamoured with the accessibility, and the ability to make change across a larger demographic.
“There was a university student from Syria who reached out to me to say that he was in the process of applying for grad school, and he loves that he can follow professors on Instagram and Tiktok,” he said. “The exact phrase he used was, he's still ‘micro-dosing academia’, even though he's not currently in school.”
Shyminsky told Sudbury.com he loves the ability to offer education and activism in an accessible way, and hopes to continue for as long as possible.
You can find him on Instagram, Facebook and of course, Tiktok.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com.
