In short, yes, it is totally valid.
In terms of evolution and psychology, men today are far more likely to have aggressive traits than women are. Natural selection has shown that an aggressive male is more likely to produce offspring, due to them being able to win the fight for a partner. It has been biologically proven that these traits have been maintained through the centuries. This does not mean that all men are aggressive or even have the capacity to be intimidating to this degree, but it does hold its value today, regardless.
20% of women experience some sort of sexual violence from the age of 16 (Rape Crisis England and Wales), and almost all women and femme folks experiencing street harassment (for instance, cat-calling, being followed or even simply being stared at). It is not a far cry to say that men seem scary to a lot of young girls and women because we have grown up with this behaviour. While these experiences are not unusual, they are obviously (to most) completely unacceptable. People cannot keep justifying this behaviour with biology, because those of us who understand it know it is not as deterministic as predators, and predator apologists, would like to think.
So while we know that “not all men” are bad people, we see this evidence and these statistics, not only as numbers but as real experiences, that too many of us have had.
Written by Kate Hopwood
Artwork by Izzy Johns
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