There are some conversations where you know before you start that someone on the internet is probably going to get pissed off.
This might be one of them.
Matt Hall is back with me and we're talking about masculinity, being a man in 2026, and why a lot of genuinely decent blokes seem to have absolutely no fucking idea what they're supposed to be anymore.
Because somewhere along the way, masculinity itself seems to have become a dirty word.
And yes, there are bad men doing bad things. There are predatory men, abusive men and absolute bellends who deserve to be called out for their behaviour.
We're not defending them.
We're talking about the other blokes.
The decent men trying to navigate relationships, dating, work, family and life without accidentally finding themselves labelled a misogynist because they said the wrong thing, approached someone at the wrong time or had an opinion that didn't fit neatly into one side of the internet.
We get into what healthy masculinity actually looks like, why strength and emotional intelligence aren't opposites, the importance of purpose, dating when nobody seems to know the rules anymore, traditional roles, modern relationships and why the loudest people online probably aren't representative of most people in the real world.
There's also a story involving a woman, a massive suitcase and me discovering that apparently offering to carry something up the stairs is now considerably more complicated than it used to be.
Ultimately, this isn't an episode about men versus women.
It's two blokes trying to work out what being a good man actually means.
And I think the answer is probably much simpler than the internet would have us believe.
Don't be a dick.
Treat people well.
Protect the people you love.
Be strong enough to step up when you're needed and emotionally intelligent enough to know when strength isn't what's required.
You're going to fuck it up occasionally.
We all do.
Just keep trying to be a better human.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Why we're talking about masculinity
03:41 – Has masculinity automatically become “toxic”?
06:29 – Toxic masculinity, misandry and internet extremes
09:58 – Where did nuance disappear to?
12:23 – Are good men becoming lost?
13:17 – Dan, a suitcase and the most confusing interaction ever
16:21 – Men don't know what they're supposed to do anymore
18:42 – Dating apps, rejection and the six-foot problem
21:25 – Bad men vs good men who get things wrong
24:00 – Young men, purpose and finding your place
27:04 – Get off the internet and talk to actual humans
28:34 – Why people who disagree can still get on
32:04 – What does healthy masculinity look like in 2026?
34:13 – Why men need purpose
37:34 – Money, muscles and feeling “good enough”
39:41 – Relationships don't need to follow gender rules
42:40 – A simple test for whether you're being a dick
44:55 – Traditional relationships are okay too
46:00 – Successful women, masculinity and wanting a man to lead
48:32 – Are online narratives getting in the way of relationships?
50:19 – Providing, protecting and positive masculinity
52:32 – The silent majority
54:39 – Most people are actually decent
56:11 – Grace, real conversations and being a good human
