Men see face masks as sign of 'weakness': Mayor Tory
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Toronto’s mayor raised a few eyebrows this week after comments about mask-wearing in the age of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, Mayor John Tory welcomed the about-face by public health on wearing face masks to slow COVID-19 spread, and chastised men for their apparent refusal to follow suit.
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“There’s been some coverage lately that men in particular don’t want to wear masks or face coverings for a variety of reasons, but including one that says that they see it somehow as a sign of weakness,” he said.
Tory wouldn’t elaborate or validate the source of his remarks, only saying “it’s been discussed” and he’s “heard people talk about” the issue.
“There’s lots of people I suppose who don’t like to wear face coverings for a variety of reasons, but the bottom line is that there are some men who’ve been concerned about that,” he said.
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University of Toronto Psychology professor Dr. Gillian Einstein likewise isn’t sure what Tory was referring to, but said recent coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s refusal to mask-up could be part of it.
“Some may be linking this to the idea of ‘toxic masculinity,’ in which men are more likely to refuse actions that might indicate vulnerability such as going to the doctor,” she told the Sun.
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According the Associated Press, Trump has told aides he’s hesitant to wear masks out of fears he’ll be perceived as weak.
On Thursday, NBC News released photos of the president touring a Michigan Ford plant donning a blue mask he quickly doffed during public portions of the visit.
Einstein also pointed to a May 13 Gallup Poll suggesting 29% of men say they always wear masks in public, compared to 44% of women.
“This crisis has sex and gender written all over it,” she said, explaining that occupations with high risks of infection — particularly health-care workers — are largely staffed by women.
Indeed, data made available by Toronto Public Health show 55% of all COVID-19 cases are women — a trend mirrored at both provincial and federal levels.
A May 11 study also found that men tend to think they’re less likely to be impacted by COVID-19, and are more likely to see masks as “shameful, not cool, a sign of weakness, and a stigma.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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