Welcome back to MAFS Lessons, today we’re learning all about toxic masculinity. For this lesson, we’re going to analyse the behaviour of none-other than Steve. If you’re more of a visual learner, don’t worry, we’ve got you:
Now, Steve and Mishel have had a bumpy ride thus far in the Married At First Sight experiment. There have been highs, there have been lows, but all-in-all they’re just chugging along. However, things took a turn for the worst at the last dinner party; Steve started to show his true colours.
If you love MAFS, make sure you check out this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
Signs Of Toxic Masculinity
Michael and Steve engaged in a very bro-y and heated discussion, sparked by Michael’s probing. Throughout the bickering, Steve’s frustration continued to visibly grow to the point where audiences could feel the tension in their own homes. Here, Mishel attempted to step in to try and put her two cents in. But, it was at this point, that Steve shut her down to finalise his point.
This very typical display of toxic masculinity didn’t go unnoticed, with Mikey, Stacey and the show’s viewers pointing it out on the show and on social media, respectively. Also, given Mishel’s remarks following the blow up, it wasn’t the first time this behaviour was displayed.
Stage Of Denial
The two spent the next day apart after the dinner party. Mishel was left without an apology because Steve didn’t think there was anything he needed to apologise for. But, even you can see how ironic the whole thing is.
Given Steve was stuck in this stage of denial, Mishel expressed her want to leave the show, as she should have!
Identifying It & Working Through It
Steve ended up voting to stay, which meant that the two had to continue on for another week. As the two ended up staying in the experiment, things started to shift towards a more positive mood. Sure, the denial was still somewhat present, but Steve showed great strides in identifying his problematic behaviour. After Mishel’s daughter had a heart-to-heart chat to Steve, he started to change his ways.
By the end of the next day, Steve was listening and welcoming other opinions. He was even welcoming a more emotional side of himself when reflecting on his own offspring. Maybe all he needed was a bit of perspective and a bit of self-reflection. We certainly hope to see this side of Steve more.
If you haven’t done your MAFS homework, make sure you catch up on previous lessons. So far, we’ve learnt about gaslighting, why adults still need supervision, to never force chemistry, to not make a fool of yourself when there are cameras around, how to meet people in a socially acceptable way and also how crappy friends can ruin a relationship.
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