Outgoing North Carolina Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn was soundly mocked after he used his final speech on the floor of the House of Representatives to rail against "soft metrosexuals."
Cawthorn, who lost his GOP primary in June, called on men to "stand resolute against the dying light of America's golden age" adding "social media has weakened us, siphoning our men of their will to fight.”
It was an oddball moment for a member of Congress who scandalized the GOP after he was photographed wearing women's lingerie in public, taped while being groped by a male staffer and was forced to address a video clip that shows him naked in bed and making thrusting motions on top of another man.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
\u201cOutgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) rants on the House floor about men being taught to be a \u201csoft metrosexual\u201d:\n\n\u201cWill you reclaim your masculinity? Will you become a man to be feared, to be respected \u2026 or will you let this nation\u2019s next generation be its final generation?\u201d\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1669824233
Cawthorn said:
"Our young men are taught that weakness is strength, that delicacy is desirable, and that being a soft metrosexual is more valuable than training the mind, body, and soul."
"Social media has weakned us, siphoning our men of their will to fight, to rise in a noble manner, square their jaws, and charge once more to the brink of life to defend what they love."
"So on this precipice of disaster, I ask the young men of this nation a question: Will you sit behind a screen while the stories [and] tales of your forefathers become myth or will you stand resolute against the dying light of America's golden age?"
"Will you reclaim your masculinity? Will you become a man to be feared, to be respected, to be looked up to, or will you let this nation's next generation be its final generation?"
Many have criticized Hawthorn and pointed out the hypocrisy of his statements given a slew of scandals that have caused many to question his sexuality.
\u201cSure, listen to the dude who humps his male cousin's face. I guess that's alpha male behavior.\u201d— Chris\u2764\u270c\ud83c\udffe\u270a\ud83c\udfff (@Chris\u2764\u270c\ud83c\udffe\u270a\ud83c\udfff) 1669848951
\u201cI'll just leave this here.\u201d— Danthegeeman Tvvitter jail bird Parody Account (@Danthegeeman Tvvitter jail bird Parody Account) 1669843520
\u201cThis dude laments metrosexuals while simultaneously having perfectly quaffed hair, a fitted suit, and a smile only a jackal could love.\u201d— i am the ramen queen (@i am the ramen queen) 1669844716
\u201cSo says the guy who wears lingerie and lacey panties.\u201d— Bill Wooldridge (@Bill Wooldridge) 1669842654
\u201cNothing says \u201creclaiming your masculinity\u201d like punching a tree or humping your male cousin\u2019s face.\u201d— Cameron Steele (@Cameron Steele) 1669841392
\u201cFirst,\n\nWHO ON EARTH actually uses the word "metrosexual" in 2022?\n\nSecond:\u201d— @hugothepinkcat@meow.social \ud83c\udf65 (@@hugothepinkcat@meow.social \ud83c\udf65) 1669841567
\u201c\ud83e\udd2c Not hard to see why @CawthornforNC was ousted!\u201d— True Blue \u262e \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83d\udc28 (@True Blue \u262e \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83d\udc28) 1669834505
\u201cUh, Cawthorn's a metrosexual.\u201d— John A. Daly (@John A. Daly) 1669847059
\u201cOh dear.\nThere is so much to unpack here.\nThis young man is not ok.\nAnd our forefathers were fond of a powered wig @RepCawthorn REALLY fond of wigs, perfumes, embroidery & fancy shoes. \nDoes that image square up w your cry for masculinity?\n\nYou really need to seek help.\u201d— Good Trouble Is Here (@Good Trouble Is Here) 1669855216
Republicans have a record of devoting significant time to what they perceive as a calculated nationwide effort to attack masculinity.
In April, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson released the trailer for The End of Men, a film which starts off warning viewers about dropping testosterone levels, includes footage of shirtless white men wrestling, doing push-ups, chopping wood, firing guns, and even, yes, lying naked while getting their groin tanned.
The content of the trailer for The End of Men is particularly odd given Carlson's long record of homophobic commentary, which has received more coverage in recent months due to his repeated attacks against Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whom he has mocked for taking paternity leave and "trying to figure out how to breastfeed."
But the notion that masculinity is being attacked—namely by the left-wing—is a popular one among Republicans like Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who last year accused "the Left" of hurting "the future of the American man" and went on to claim that the "deconstruction of America begins with and depends on the deconstruction of American men."
