'So much misinformation out there about masculinity': Tim Caulfield discusses his new documentary

Researcher Tim Caulfield joined CTV Morning Live Edmonton to discuss his new documentary exploring the misconceptions around masculinity.

 

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

 

Cory Edel: Do we need more masculinity or less? Has modern masculinity lost its way? That's the topic of a new documentary. We welcome the host of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and a friend of the show, Tim Caufield. This is fantastic. I watched this yesterday and you cover a lot of ground, doing a lot of myth busting as usual. Why shift gears to manliness?

Tim Caulfield: That’s a great question, and it's because there is so much misinformation out there about masculinity. Increasingly, we're seeing online influencers push this idea that we need to be more manly and that traditional masculine norms have fallen aside, and that's bad. If you do all of these things, if you adopt this rigid definition of masculinity, you're going to be healthier, more successful and happier. So we dive into reality.

Cory: You did dive into how people are trying to grab onto that masculinity. You smash cars, race cars, spend time in the woods. Tell us what you learned.

Tim: You guys know me. I'm hardcore, almost a skeptic, cynic kind of guy. Because we got to talk to so many different communities and experts and individuals, I really learned that it is complex. There are these different views of masculinity, and that's OK. You've got to be able to walk your own authentic path and that might lean a little towards that traditional masculine norm, and if that's what you love? Awesome, but we gotta make room for everything, right?

Cory: There's so many interesting things in the documentary and a lot of it is centred around misinformation in the manly world. What are some of the more absurd aspects that you experienced and saw?

Tim: Oh my, it was just ridiculous and these trends are popular, right? Drinking urine, eating raw testicles with the idea that it's going to raise your testosterone, there's no evidence to support that at all. Sun tanning your testicles… testicles get a lot of play in this documentary. Supplements, so many supplements and really extreme workouts. The important thing to recognize is there really is no evidence to support this at all. The idea that it’s going to make you healthier, etc, there’s no evidence to support that at all. There is evidence that embracing a rigid definition of masculinity can do real harm to individuals, communities, families and relationships.

Cory: As a public figure, you've been debunking a lot of different misinformation and a lot of people attack your manliness in a specific way. Tell us about Timmy.

Tim: Every day, every day. In fact, I even did some pseudo study on this. A “quasi study,” we'll call it that, where I looked at all of my hate mail and all the trolls I get on social media. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, they call me “Timmy.” Why do they do that? Because it's emasculating. “Timmy” is not a masculine name, so somehow, they think they're insulting me by calling me “Timmy.” I love “Timmy.” My mom called me “Timmy.” My buddies on sports teams called me “Timmy.” Bring on the “Timmy.” I don't mind at all.

Cory: You own it in a specific way and I'm not going to give it away because it’s a big part of the documentary. Now, more of a serious question. Why is it serious for men and their mental health to explore this documentary?

Tim: Yeah, it is a serious question. We have a lot of fun in the doc, but this is a real social challenge. Research tells us that embracing rigid definitions of masculinity can lead to mental health issues. You're less likely to reach out for help. It can hurt certain communities by not making them feel like they belong. I think it's really important. We explore this in the show, to find those communities, and we found some great ones, and allow those friendships to build so we can push back against the isolation that often comes with those rigid definitions.

Cory: I want to thank you so much for joining us this morning Tim. It's a fascinating documentary. Well done. The documentary is called Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. It's out on CBC Gem.